The Value of His Heart
by CanadianCold
Summary: In a world of widening inequalities between naturally born humans and artificially born Subjects, Sora and Roxas, human and Subject respectively, find themselves being torn apart by a world filled with hatred in malice. With the aid of powerful allies, can the two live in peace, let alone save the world from the growing malice around them?
1. Chapter 1

_Alas, poor York, I randomly got inspiration last night for a new fic! It tackles the difficult question of 'what is humanity?' and the confusing emotions that rise from this question!_

_Without further italicized text, here we are._

* * *

Everything was white here.

The floors were white.

The walls were white.

The ceiling was white.

Their clothes were white.

But this was of little concern to Roxas. He was what _they_ called a Nobody. A subject who didn't develop a personality. He wasn't alone in this curious fact, but the others were… different.

Roxas was twelve, and sitting before on a blank, white couch. The seat of the couch was stiff and it hurt Roxas' back, but he didn't complain. He barely spoke as it was. Why should he speak, when there's nothing to say? That's what always confused him about his keepers.

Well, that's what he called them.

Keepers.

The men and women in white lab coats and with white ties who watched him and the others from behind their two way mirrors. They didn't think he knew that the mirrors were actually means for them to watch them, but again, why tell them? They'd just find a new way to spy on him and he'd have to figure that new way out.

And that seemed like a bother.

A show about the Earth's slowing rotation played out before him. It was a documentary, one he had seen many times. The keepers said that it was a good sign that he enjoyed watching this documentary.

_A good sign._

Like he was some sort of defective thing? But then again, they called him a Nobody. Something he learned quickly to dislike.

He had seen the other Nobodies when he was younger. They didn't think he had, but he saw them.

And he was _nothing_ like them.

Nobodies had eerie, blank stares. They rarely did anything. Just stood around. They walked to the washroom when they had to relieve their bowels or bladder. They sat down or laid down when they were tired. Functional things that any halfwit computer could learn. But they couldn't learn anything past basic human functions.

They had no personality. No humanity. They were a nobody. Nobody.

And they called him that? But why? Roxas knew he was something. Descartes said "I think, therefore I am." – Well, to be fair, Descartes never said that, that was just something people liked saying, to sound smart. One of his keepers liked to use that line. The real line was different.

Anyways, Roxas knew he existed. He knew he thought. He was thinking right now. He was bored, after all. He twisted in his seated position, his back aching.

They watched on from the far wall, behind their mirror.

If Roxas listened closely, he could hear them. They were discussing whether to keep him or not. Because they were the keepers, and he was the kept. _He wasn't developing socially_, they say. _He doesn't play with the other children_, one of them had written on his file.

Why should he play? It was boring. The only interesting person here was Mother. And she was very busy.

Mother's real name was Namine. Namine adored Roxas and was the only reason why he had been kept around for so long. She had told the keepers that Roxas wasn't a Nobody. And they would disagree and try to tell her differently, but in the end, she had final say. Mother was Mother.

Nobody disagreed with Mother.

Roxas picked up the rounded remote, turning off the TV screen. He had learned from a particularly troublesome subject, Axel, why the remotes were rounded. Some subjects tried to escape, and pointed objects like remotes made excellent weapons for knocking the keepers out.

He looked over at the mirror on the far wall, staring into it. His hair was in a neat part, his blue eyes staring boredly back. Even if he couldn't see it, he knew he was making the keepers uncomfortable, and that would have to do.

For now, atleast.

Roxas broke his staring contest with the mirror, and got up, his back cracking from remaining seated for so long. He walked over soundlessly to the window. His clothing felt awkward and too big. They dressed him in a white sweatshirt and white pants. But they were too big. They were uncomfortable. But they were to wear clothes all the time.

When Roxas was younger, he had questioned Mother on the necessity of clothes. She explained that, outside the Heart Compound, the weather was a bit more intemperate, and sometimes it would get cold. She went on to tell him that he should get used to clothes, because she was sure someone would take him into their house and make him family.

Mother Namine always had a smile on as she told him of how one day he would be adopted. Roxas understood that people are the product of sex, and that everyone has parents. Mother told him that he had biological parents, but they were strangers who had sold sperm and egg for a fair bit of money to the Heart Coorperation. And when they made Roxas, she became his mother.

But it had been twelve years, and nobody had adopted Roxas. In six years, he would either be discarded, or sent into the general public. Roxas found this to be an exciting prospect, but worrying, too. Roxas didn't want to _not_ exist, and so he proved his worth to Mother in other ways.

He may not talk a lot, but he was smart and studious. His IQ was off the charts, as Mother said so many times, and he was incredibly agile and fit for his age.

But all that wouldn't matter if the keepers got their way and _disposed_ of Roxas. Roxas understood death, so why didn't they say they would kill him, instead? It didn't make sense. But, for someone like Roxas, who straddled the lines of brilliance and Nobody, genius and fool, nothing much made a terrific amount of sense.

Roxas was pretty sure that things would make more sense once he was older and could see the world with his own two eyes.

He was pretty sure of that, at least.

* * *

"Sora! It's room 414, it'll be on the left after the corner!" A newly familiar voice called to Sora.

"Thanks, Riku! I found it!" He called back to Riku, his residence advisor for his dormitory floor.

Sora attended the prestigious Hearts University, named after the founder of the massive company, Hearts Incorporated, Xemnas Hearts.

Sora held in his arms three dirty old boxes, and something was leaking through the old cardboard under his left hand. He fumbled with his new keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open with his elbow. The room before him was unimpressive, to say the least. A narrow, white hallway lead toward a larger space, where two beds, two desks, and two dressers sat, facing off identically. Like a giant chess set, consisting of three pieces.

Sora dropped the boxes near the door, and removed his boots. The room was dim, and he searched for a lightswitch. Finding one, two bright domes on the ceiling lit up, and showed off the blankness of the room in all its boring glory.

"Well. This sucks." Sora pouted to himself. He sighed, running a hand through his light blond hair. He missed his family and friends, and wouldn't get to see them for months. Regardless, he pressed forward, the short carpet crunching quietly under his feet as he silently reminded himself that he'd make plenty of friends.

The larger space of the room, where the furniture was, had one green wall, and a white wall opposite. Sora eyed both walls. Which one would he take? He didn't want to be _that_ roommate and take the better side, so he chose the white wall side, and grabbed his boxes, laying them on the thin excuse of a mattress.

For such a highly regarded, world renowned university, it sure did have shitty accommodations for first years. But that was okay with Sora, he would make do. He opened the first of his boxes, haphazardly tearing the thing open like a kid on Christmas, and revealing his recently bought sheets, which he tossed out onto the bed into a messy ball.

Problems for a later time when he'd need his bed, right?

Procuring from the soggy box of wonders, Sora procured a lifesized key shaped blade. It was dull, obviously, but held sentimental value. Nicks and scratches marred the smooth surface, and the once golden hilt was dirtied with years of disuse. He smiled nostalgically at the old thing, and, using the already present hooks on the bleach-white wall, hung the thing up.

Sora continued to unpack his things, careful not to take up more than half the room with all his junk, before switching off the lights and leaving the room.

Sora made his way down the modern-looking hall to the glass door that lead to his floor's lounge. He pushed the heavy thing open, and was greeted with the sudden realization that the door was heavy for a good reason.

That was soundproof glass, and three other students were blasting music through a sound system, connected to the TV. One of them turned, his black hair spiked in random directions, much akin to Sora's. He looked to the other two students; one a tall blonde, the other a girl his height. "Guys! Shut that shit up!" He barked angrily.

Sora blinked, this kid seemed a little… aggressive. The girl paused the song, which Sora only now realized was everyone's love and foe, PSY's Gangam Style.

The black haired teen stepped forward. He was a little taller than Sora, and stuck a rather unpleasant person, his eyes narrowed as he observed Sora. Regardless of this, Sora offered a smile and a hand. "Hey, I'm Sora! Nice to meet you."

The black haired teen frowned for a moment. "Sora… that means something in Japanese, but I can't remember what. Whatever. I'm Vanitas, second year. By the looks of it, what with that smile and your general exuberance to be here, you're a first year." He remarked flatly.

The girl, a red haired pretty little thing, stepped forward. "Oh don't mind Vanny, he's just pissy because he missed One Direction's concert. I'm Kairi, and tall, blonde and handsome, otherwise known as Ventus, are happy to meet you, Sora!" Kairi smiled, shaking Sora's hand with an eerily firm grasp.

"Cool, and don't feel too bad, _Vanny_, I like One Direction too." Sora chuckled. Vanitas' black brows knitted together.

"I do not like them!" He said angrily. "And it's Vanitas, not Vanny."

"It _is_ Vanny, and yes you do. I've seen your music playlist." Ventus retored wryly.

Sora laughed, causing another scowl, that he was quickly realizing was a trademark of Vanitas'. He felt like things wouldn't be so bad, now.

Sora learned from Riku when he arrived (with food, bless the man for remembering that the cafeteria didn't open until dinner tonight) that the their floor was largely late on arriving, and that only a handful of students were there. After a few hours, Riku had gathered all the students who would arrive today.

They sat on the modern looking couches as conversation waved back and forth between the various dorm-goers. Riku quieted them down quickly enough. "Alright everyone, there's one more person that will be arriving today. Has anyone seen a… Roxas? He should be in 414. That's your room, right, Sora?" Riku turned to Sora, a silver brow raised. Why was his hair silver? He must dye it. It looked cool, at least.

"Can't say I have, Riku. I haven't been back to my room in a while, but he wasn't there when I moved in." Sora shrugged, his roommate was late, how terribly scandalous.

Riku frowned, rubbing his chin as he picked up a hefty booklet and began wading through the page. "Roxas… Roxas…" he stopped on a page, his eyes widening. "Oh. I see." He said simply, after regaining his composure.

"… What do you see, Riku?" Vincent, another of the floor's enigmatic types asked, seemingly surprised as Riku's reaction.

"Says here that this Roxas is from the Hearts Compound. He's a subject." Riku said simply, all eyes being drawn to him, and conversations ceasing instantly. Sora blinked, was it such a big deal? Yeah, maybe this Roxas was a test tube baby, but so what? He was still human, after all.

"Well, so what?" Sora shrugged, smiling. "What's the big deal? So what if they grew him in a tube, he's still human, isn't he?" Kairi nodded in agreement, training her gaze back to Riku.

"Sora, he's never been adopted. You know what that means. He might… He might be off…" Riku explained.

Sora frowned, "It doesn't matter, I don't mind, really."

Riku nodded slowly. "Alright, if you're sure about this. But if you want to switch rooms with someone, come to me with them, and we can make it happen."

"Don't worry about it, Riku. I'm sure Roxas and I will get along great!" Sora nodded energetically.

Kairi laughed, "Oh Sora, you're just like a big kid!"

Sora smiled at her, "Maybe I am? Growing up and acting mature is so lame, y'know?"

A few hours later, Sora was back in his room, unpacking his clothes into the, predictably, modern looking dresser on his side of the room. Music played from his laptop, and he hummed along. From one of the boxes, he pulled out a white sweatshirt, with buttons that went down to the sternum. The brunette began to fold the seemingly unimpressive article of clothing when a knock at the door sounded. Sora blinked, and paused the song. Why didn't they just come in? If he was asleep or wanted privacy, he wouldn't have music playing. Probably.

He walked over to the door, opening it to find an eerily similar set of blue eyes staring back at him.

A young man, no older than Sora, stood before him. His bright blonde hair was parted on the side, and he wore a white shirt, with buttons that started from the sternum done up neatly, and a pair of beige pants. Sora blinked, the teen before him remaining quiet for a moment, before extending a hand, and saying in a very calm, controlled voice, "Hello, my name is Roxas. Nice to meet you." Somehow Sora doubted that Roxas thought it was nice to meet him.

Sora shook his hand quickly, "So you're Roxas? Cool! You're late, bud!" The brunette decided that since this guy had been cooped up in some creepy facility all his life, the least he deserved was someone in this university _not_ staring at him like he was some kind of failed experiment.

Roxas blinked as Sora swung his arm around his shoulder, dragging him into the room. "I don't think I'm late… it's seven o'clock, isn't it? That's when I was supposed to arrive…" Roxas trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

Sora chuckled, "Don't sweat it, man. Just unpack your stuff and we can go get something to eat!" Sora eyed Roxas closely. He seemed to pristine in his bland clothes. Like a treasured piece of history that had never been dirtied by human hands. Well, until Sora touched him. Suddenly conscious of the arm he had around Roxas' shoulders, he removed it, looking away awkwardly.

"Huh, green." Roxas commented, eyeing the wall that stood next to his bed. "Sora, right?" He turned, looking to Sora, his eyes inquisitive.

"Yeah, that's me!" Sora grinned, jabbing himself in the chest with his thumb. Roxas turned, regarding him for a moment. Sora suddenly felt uncomfortable under the gaze of this boy. He couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen years old, but his eyes held this… unfathomable wisdom.

"This is my bed, then? It's good. Better than back at the Compound." Roxas nodded to Sora, and began unpacking his stuff. Sora watched in silent awe as Roxas methodically placed identical shirts to the one the blonde was already wearing, identical pants to the ones he was already wearing, and a few pairs of underwear and socks into the drawers.

"That's all you brought?" Sora blinked, taking a seat on Roxas' bed.

Roxas shrugged. "That's all they gave me. The keepers never did like me much." Roxas held his composure, but something in those eyes of his gave away something…

Was it pain? Sora couldn't say. "So, you're from the Hearts Compound, then?" Sora inquired, deciding to change the topic. Because talking about Roxas' unusual upbringing was definitely less awkward than who brought him up. Yep. Smart.

"I am, yes. I lived there all my life. I was… born… there, too. This is my first time outside the compound, even if I'm still on the Hearts island, at least I'm not on company property. " Roxas said, taking a seat in the chair at his desk. "Sora, where are you from?" He inquired, crossing a leg over the other loosely, his hands folded neatly in his lap.

"I'm from Greece, my parents thought it'd be best if I didn't go to university at home, what with the whole… recession, thing." Sora explained, his heart panging for his parents once more.

"That's unfortunate, Sora. I've read about the situation in Greece and the other southern European countries' financial crises. Shall we go to dinner, then?" Roxas said simply. His voice wasn't disinterested, per se, more very controlled and calm.

"Yeah sure!" Sora hopped to his feet, Roxas standing once more. "And Roxas, it's nice to meet you, I know we'll be good friends." Sora smiled.

"Friends… Axel said he was my friend, I guess I have two friends, now." Roxas thought aloud. Sora blinked, his heart reaching for the other. Only one friend? What kind of place was the Hearts Compound? To make people live such lonely existences.

"Well, you'll have plenty more when I'm done with you." Sora grinned.

The two sat in the bustling dining hall of their dormitory. Sora ate from a plate of pasta, with a thin cheese sauce. Roxas was staring down at a piece of lasagna curiously.

"Don't like lasagna?" Sora inquired, cocking his head to the side while he sucked up a few noodles.

"I've never had it. We didn't have a lot of variety in foods." Roxas said, picking up his fork and sliding into the little structure of flat noodles, meat, and cheese. Roxas eloquently cut through the lasagna, and held the piece of lasagna before his azure eyes, scruitinizing it, before placing it in his mouth.

Sora watched with unveiled glee as Roxas' eyes widened as he chewed. "Is it good?" He asked, leaning forward.

"It's…" Roxas looked down at the square of lasagna, now missing a piece. "It's delicious." Roxas said, nodding to Sora, and taking another bite.

"Man, you didn't really live at all before now, did ya?" Sora chuckled, continuing to eat his own meal, the noodles slowly disappearing, leaving a little pool of watery cheese sauce. Roxas paused at this, looking down at his meal for a long moment, before speaking.

"They… They didn't think I was worth showing new things to. The keepers thought I was a Nobody." Roxas said for a moment, avoiding Sora's gaze, continuing to eat his lasagna.

"A nobody? What, like somebody who has no friends or something?" Sora blinked. "And keepers…?" This seemed strange, and Sora was, obviously, quite confused.

"I'd… I'd rather not talk about it, Sora. Sorry." Roxas said, looking up for a moment.

Sora's heart caught in his throat. He suddenly felt very, very bad. "O-of course, Roxas. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Sora said, his appetite suddenly gone.

"It's not your fault, Sora. It's just… it's an ugly thing, Nobodies and the keepers." Roxas said, finishing his square of lasagna, and stood up, pushing his chair back in one fluid motion.

Sora stood as well, watching as Roxas made his way around the table, and he slowly followed, placing a hand on Roxas' shoulder instinctively. "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always in the bed across, eh? We're friends now, and friends are there for one another." Sora nodded firmly, squeezing Roxas' shoulder lightly.

Roxas did something that Sora didn't expect then. He smiled a faint smile. "Yeah. Friends are there for one another."

_And that is the first chapter, which I have written between classes! Huzzah! Did you like it? I hope so. As always, comments are greatly appreciated, both critiques and compliments!_

_This story's going in a very different direction than what I'm used to writing, so my inspiration may ebb and flow._


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh snap, a new chapter!_

_When we left off, Sora and the enigmatic Roxas were getting to know one another. _

_Some time has passed since then, and the two of them find themselves in none but one class together._

_**Thank you to Clogallie and Takara yume for pointing out the type-o's!**_

* * *

Roxas took his typical seat in his current class. No one had arrived yet, not even the professor. The room seated about, at maximum, forty students, and was decorated with various motivational posters and the like. The desktops were seated upon a dark, mahogany-looking bench, and the chairs sat stoically behind them. The three rows of seats were on gradually inclining levels, so that students in the back could still see the board.

The solitary blond removed his laptop from his satchel, laying it on the black desktop. The thin piece of machinery booted up with a press of a button, and Roxas opened a program titled "Mother Namine." A solitary screen opened at his behest and a short line of text appeared at the top in black text.

"Hello Roxas. How is university life treating you?" Roxas eyed the line of text a few times before nodding to himself.

"_I can't complain. Believe it or not, I've made a friend. The people on my dormitory's floor seem a little hesitant towards me, but that's to be expected."_ The blond responded, keeping out one critical detail.

"I'm glad to hear that you've made a friend, Roxas. And I'm sure your dorm-mates will realize that you're not so different from them at all. Why, I think you're as normal as any of them." Namine responded, offering a snort of derision from the blond.

"_Mother, I am smarter than every one of them by leagues, and I'm not completely trapped by my emotions. How am I like them?"_ Namine always had a way of confusing Roxas.

"Dearest child, you will learn one day that there's more to intelligence than book smarts. Anyway, tell me of your friend." She wrote back, her first words puzzling the lone blond further.

"_His name is Sora, he's my roommate. We only have one class together, but he's very extroverted and friendly. Where everyone seemed to be put off at me being a subject, he doesn't seem to mind at all. He's a good person."_ Roxas wrote back, his expression softening somewhat as he thought of Sora. Though this proved to do nothing more than confuse Roxas more. He was incredibly intelligent! Why was this outgoing brunet so confusing?

"He sounds like a great person, my dear boy. And you are not a subject. Not anymore, you're a fully-fledged person and you have the world as your oyster." She wrote back with eerie speed.

"_Thank you, Mother Namine. I should sign off, class will begin soon." _Roxas typed.

"Goodbye, Roxas."

"_Goodbye, Mother." _Roxas wrote, closing the application as the sound of dress shoe footsteps sounded.

A man in his early thirties placed his bag on the IT station at the head of the class, giving Roxas his typical frown as he noted the young man. "Early again, _subject_?" The man said with a cold intentionality of the word _subject_.

"Yes, professor." Roxas said flatly. "I have an hour break between my class before this one and now. I come here early to do some of my work." The blond explained once more.

"You say that every class." Professor Chaud said briskly. The man held with him a stern visage, his face was narrow and almost diabolical. He wore a pair of brown, loose fitting slacks and a grey button up shirt with a white tie.

"Because the truth of it does not change. Or at least, it has not, yet." Roxas said simply, typing away at some yet-unfinished notes.

"And somehow I imagine that there's more to it than that. I think—" The man was cut off by the hurry of footsteps, along with the entrance of a head of messy light brown spikes, followed by a young man garbed in cream coloured chinos and a tight fitting blue t-shirt.

"What do you think, professor? I hope it's not unprofessional, because we're all supposed to look at you!" Sora grinned at the man, who scowled back. The brunet turned, smiling at Roxas. "Roxy!" He chirped, hopping up to the back of the class and taking his seat next to Roxas. "How're you, Roxas?" Sora smiled a little, taking out his own laptop and brushing some dirt off it.

"I'm alright." Roxas said, a scoff coming from the professor. "I was just speaking to the professor." The blond eyed Sora's laptop, a golden eyebrow quirking. "How do you get your laptop so messy?"

Sora shrugged. "I think Cloud was playing Frisbee with it…" Though the brunet didn't seem to mind the concept of his means of taking notes and facebook being thrown around.

"And that doesn't concern you at all?" Roxas kept his eyebrow raised.

"Why should it? If it's broken, well that happens." Sora shrugged once more, before changing the topic. "So Roxas. You want to go into town this weekend? I feel like I'm gonna go nuts if I spend all my time on campus!"

Roxas, looked to his side, eyeing Sora for a moment. "What would we do?" Frankly, the idea sounded needlessly laborious to Roxas. How would they get there? Was there anything to do in the city? What did they need to do?

"I dunno, we could see the sights, hang out, get you some less lame clothes…" Sora rambled off a list of things to do, though Roxas had stopped listening after the first three.

_Buy new clothes? What's wrong with my current clothes?_ Roxas looked down at his drab attire, consisting of beige slacks, a white t-shirt, and a pair of white, laceless shoes. In comparison to Sora, he looked quite bland.

"Okay." Roxas said, still typing away.

Sora blinked, stopping in his rambling of things to do, "… go bowling, go to the movies – wait, okay _what_?" Sora leaned forward, peering at the ever enigmatic Roxas, who busily typed away. He spoke once more, though continued to type.

"Okay, I'll go into the city with you, Sora." He repeated, pausing in typing. "I guess my clothes _are_ a little bland."

Sora grinned triumphantly, "Yes! I win!" He did a fist pump, and grabbed Roxas by the shoulder. "I'll get you looking so good you'll have to get a cattle prodder to keep the girls away!"

Roxas blinked, "Why would girls be attracted to me?" He had never really met that many in his life. Other than the occasional female subject, who would be mostly creeped out by Roxas. He didn't honestly care for them, they seemed a tad… unpredictable. Then again, so was Sora, and he found him to not be annoying.

"C'mon, man, you're awesome!" Sora grinned even wider, receiving another confused look from the blonde.

However, behind the confidant smile of Sora's, was a heart filled with confusion.

* * *

Sora, Roxas, and Squall all sat in the back of Cloud's crappy car. It was an old Tempo, 1995 model, or so Sora thought he remembered Squall saying, while making fun of Cloud's car. Cloud turned the key, the ignition slowly coming to bear after a few seconds of what sounded like, to Sora at least, someone running a cat's claws, all four legs, down a chalkboard.

Cloud turned over his shoulder, those sea-green eyes of his peering into the distance as he backed up. Sora looked over at the ever quiet Roxas, and piped up. "So Roxas, is this your first time to the city?"

"Yes." Roxas said. He was usually quiet around other people than Sora, but something else seemed to be bothering him. Sora opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but refrained, something in his heart telling him it was a bad idea, at least right now.

The forty minute drive was filled with either awkward one or two responses from Roxas, witty banter between Squall and Cloud, or random comments about their witty banter by Sora.

As they piled out of the car, Sora peered into the sunny day toward the theatre. It was a large, black building, seemingly out of place on such a sunny, happy day. "Hey guys, wanna see Rise of the Guardians?" He looked to the three. Squall quirked a brow, meanwhile Roxas and Cloud looked generally confused.

"Rise of the Guardians? Isn't that some kids' movie?" Squall asked, kicking the car door closed, causing a deathglare from Cloud.

"You are _never_ too old for a magical story about Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, Jack Frost and the Boogey Man! And I dare you to find a better movie to watch." Sora retorted triumphantly.

Cloud peered forward, eyeing the various posters, indicating the other movies playing. "Oh God… it's either that or _Twilight_. Okay, children's movie it is. You win, Sora. But it doesn't start for an hour. What should we do until then?"

Sora shrugged, "Well I promised Roxas to help him get some new clothes. We could split up, and you two could go get… better acquainted." He winked at Squall and Cloud, who exchanged confused glances.

"… Right. Well, you two have fun… shopping. We'll go do manly things." Squall nodded sagely.

Cloud blinked, "Because two guys hanging out in a mall is manly, Squall. You're only proving the bugger's point, you know."

Squall shrugged, and shoved Cloud forward. "Stop poking holes in my logic and let's go buy food."

The two exited with hurried steps, the idea of eating being very appealing. This left Sora and Roxas standing silently.

"So, clothes shopping, any ideas on where—" Sora was cut off by Roxas, who spoke up with more than two words for the first time in an hour.

"Sora, I don't know if I like being… in public, like this." Roxas said quietly, looking around.

"What do you mean?" Sora stepped closer to the blond, who quickly avoided his gaze.

"It's… It's hard to explain." Roxas responded. Sora eyed his quiet friend with concern. He had never seen Roxas nervous! Well, to be fair, he had never seen Roxas give any indication of having a strong emotion so far. Deciding that was Roxas needed was a bit of friendship, Sora smiled a soft smile.

"It's okay, Roxas. Really." Sora said gently, stepping toward the blond and embracing him. He wrapped his arms around Roxas, finding him to be warm. Roxas was only a little taller than Sora, and the brunet found it easy to embrace him.

Roxas stood there in stunned silence for a long moment, before tentatively wrapping his right arm around Sora's midsection, causing the brunet to smile wider. "Thank you, Sora. I think… I think I'll be okay, now." With that, he let go of Sora, and he did the same.

Sora stepped back, the warmth of Roxas still radiating off of him. He had found the blond to be oddly strong feeling. His back was toned and he felt strong muscles tense when he had first embraced him. Roxas quirked a golden brow at Sora's uncharacteristic quietness. "Sora?"

Sora blinked, shaking his head. "Right, sorry, spaced out for a second. Let's get you some clothes!"

* * *

Roxas and Sora found themselves in a busy shopping centre, quickly escaping the torrential flood of people streaming through the wide corridors of the mall and into a store. _Hipster faux-music_, as Riku called it, played through the store, and loudly too. Roxas looked around, his eyes widening at the selection, the mannequins, and the busy shoppers. This caused Sora to laugh, "Roxas, you look like a lost puppy! C'mon, this is the women's department." Sora said, still chuckling. Roxas blinked, scowling at Sora.

"A puppy?" He seemed confused at the metaphor. "But I'm eighteen years old, canines are normally considered puppies from the ages of—" He was cut off by Sora, who dragged him by the hand.

"Yes yes, I'm sure the maturation period of dogs is a terribly interesting topic, but we don't have all day and you need new clothes." Sora grinned, dragging him into the men's department. This, however, did earn some confused and amused looks from the staff and other shoppers. Sora ignored their stares, and Roxas seemed ignorant to them as a whole, still eyeing the clothing that was arranged around them.

Sora stopped as they reached a rounded dais with pants on them. He turned, eyeing Roxas up and down. "What size of pants do you wear?" He inquired, closing an eye and placing a hand on his own chin, like some sort of fashion designer.

Though the expression was lost on Roxas, who just seemed confused. "Is there something wrong with your eye? Maybe we should quit shopping and get you some eyedrops. And I'm not sure, my clothes were always just sent to my room when I was still a subject." Roxas explained, shrugging.

Sora stepped closer, eyeing him. "Well, you're a little slimmer than I am, so…" He turned, wading through a pile of black chinos, before picking one out the pile. "So this should work!" He unfurled the pants, which appeared to be the perfect length and width for Roxas.

"Should I try them on?" Roxas inquired, a brow quirking again as he regarded the pants.

"Yeah, but let's get some more stuff before you go to a dressing room." Sora nodded, and the two continued their shopping.

Roxas stopped at a waist height table, picking up something. It took a second for Sora to realize what it was, but he saw it was a black and white checkered wristband. "Huh. I like this." Roxas said, causing Sora to stop in his mental tracks. Roxas had never explicitly said he liked anything!

"Well then let's get it! And how about this shirt?" Sora picked up a blue polo, "I think it would draw attention to your eyes, y'know?" Sora nodded.

"My eyes? If you think so, Sora…" Roxas said, unsure as to what his eyes had to do with anything.

The two continued their shopping for about fifteen more minutes until Sora had decided they had gotten enough clothing.

Well, it was moreso that the two of them had run out of arm space to carry clothing. So the two made their way to the dressing rooms, though there was a _large_ line.

"Oh god, this'll take a while…" Sora groaned, slumping his shoulders.

Roxas looked at the line, confused. "I don't understand. I know what being bashful is, but it's not like we're getting completely nude. And there mirrors –everywhere- in this store. Why don't people just try on clothes out here?" He eyed all the mirrors, then looked to Sora, expecting the brunet to have an entirely logical and well thought out answer.

Sora blinked, a little caught off guard by the notion of people just up and stripping in a store. "Well… you have a point, I guess people are just a little self-conscious nowadays."

Roxas shrugged. "It makes no sense, frankly, I don't see the point in us waiting that long for a dirty little room where I try on clothes and not understand if they look good or not. That seems tedious and needlessly laborious." Roxas turned, eyeing a rather deserted corner of the store. "There. Come with me, Sora."

Confused once more, Sora followed at his friend's behest, and they stopped at an empty display table, which was likely being restocked soon. Roxas laid the clothing down on the table, and unbuckled his belt, which hid under his shirt. "R-Roxas what're you doing?" Sora stuttered, suddenly very surprised.

"I said I'm not waiting in line, and if I'm going to spend money on clothing, I need someone to tell me if it looks appropriate. You can do that, right?" Roxas raised an eyebrow, removing his belt entirely.

"I guess, yeah." Heat rose to Sora's face as Roxas removed his bland trousers. He wore a pair of white boxer briefs underneath, though his rear end was covered by the length of his t-shirt. Though, from what Sora did see in his poorly executed plan to not look like he was ogling his friend, he could tell that Roxas did exercise. His legs were pale, as was the rest of the blond, but toned. He had a runner's build, with strong, but slight legs. Roxas slipped on the pair of black chinos and buttoned up the fly.

"A button up fly seems needlessly laborious…" Roxas commented as he removed his shirt. At this point, though Sora had given up all pretenses of not ogling Roxas, and eyed the blond's defined chest. It was smooth, and his stomach held with it defined muscles, six when he was relaxed, and eight visible when flexed. His upper chest was crowned by his pactoral muscles, which also were slight, but began to the workings of his arms, which bulged ever so slightly with muscle.

"R-Roxas, when did you get so buff?!" Sora deadpanned as the blonde slipped on a black and white checkered shirt.

The blond shrugged, "We kept active at the Hearts Compound. Honestly it was more work than learning all the now-seemingly-useless stuff we were taught."

Sora turned, eyeing himself in the mirror. He frowned. "Don't like it?" Sora asked, stepping next to him. He stared into the mirror, eyeing the two of them. Sora was no inactive slouch, he was defined as well, but next to Roxas and what he saw as a pristine beauty, he felt common and boring.

"No, just my hair doesn't seem right, anymore." Roxas said, eyeing his neatly parted hair.

"Well that's because you've parted it like some sort of creepy missionary!" Sora grinned. "Here, sit down on this table, I've an idea." Sora commanded. Roxas did as he was told, though seemed thoroughly confused as Sora ran his hands through Roxas' hair. Sora slowed his movements, Roxas' hair feeling soft and healthy in his hands.

He pulled his hands upward, before sweeping his bangs to the side. In the end, Roxas had a hairstyle much like Ventus, but in the opposite direction. "Take a look!"

Roxas stood, eyeing himself in the mirror. "How did you get it to stand up like that? You didn't have any sort of hair product." Sora grinned, shrugging.

"Magic, my friend. So you like it now?" Sora stepped beside the blonde, deciding that, with his hair a little more interestingly styled, Roxas wasn't just good looking, he was downright stunning.

"I do. It seems to go well." Roxas nodded.

Meanwhile a few feet away, a young man and woman stood there, jaws slack. The man looked to the woman, and said quietly.

"Did he seriously-, was he actually that _hot_?!" He whispered.

The girl nodded slowly. "… Yes. Yes he was. … Let's go, Ryan… You might pop a boner staring at this guy…"

The brunet onlooker nodded slowly. "Y-yeah, let's… let's go, Josie."

Roxas changed back into his regular clothing, once more earning poorly veiled gawks from Sora as he changed.

"You know, I know you were staring at me, Sora." Roxas said, a small smirk coming to his lips as they walked to the cash register.

* * *

_Well wasn't that a fan-servicey ending?_

_But we all love fan-service. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where they go to the movies, one of the many cliché things people do._


	3. Chapter 3

_I am updating way too fast. Oh well, can't be helped!_

_When we left off, Roxas and Sora were about to head to the movies. But what danger lies in store?_

* * *

Sora and Roxas walked slowly through the rivers of people in the mall's wide corridors. The sun shone down from the glass roof above, casting a bright and upbeat atmosphere. Families were talking animatedly, couples sharing private conversations, their heads held close. All the while, Roxas looked on, absorbing it all. Sora didn't interrupt the blond, because frankly he found Roxas' thinly veiled wonder at normal society endearing.

Something we all take for granted, Roxas was able to take in so much from. Sora found himself gazing at the blond fondly, finding himself more comfortable in Roxas' largely indifferent presence as time went on. The brunet smiled to himself, taking a step closer to Roxas, and tussling his hair, to which Roxas irritably ran a hand through, fixing it. "What was that for?" The blond demanded, his thoughts broken.

"You were thinking too much again." Sora grinned cheekily, receiving a scoff from Roxas. "Oh don't be like that, Roxas! You know you're my favourite." Sora chuckled, clinging to Roxas' arm like a child to a parent.

Roxas looked on in confusion, "Favourite what?" He blinked, "And why are you hanging on to me? Is that some kind of gesture I've yet to learn? Should I be doing it back? Or do I respond with something else?" Roxas ran the questions off, looking intently at Sora, as if he had a logical answer.

Sora tried to keep his composure, but failed miserably, and burst into laughter. "Oh Roxas, _that's_ why you're my favourite! You're a genius, but at the same time, you can be such a twit." Sora grinned through his laughter, wrapping an arm around Roxas' shoulders, who resigned to just not even trying.

"I give up, you're confusing, Sora." Roxas grumbled, looking forward once more. Sora released him from his arm's grasp, much to his own displeasure, though let a hand linger on his arm for a moment, causing the blond to look over once more, that inquisitive look back on his face. Sora always enjoyed seeing Roxas like this. An eyebrow would be quirked just slightly, his mouth making a little 'o' shape, and his other eyebrow furrowed in thought.

"You'll get it sooner or later, Roxy. Just for now, let's enjoy the movie and hang out, eh? Midterms are sooner than we think and –" Though Sora's ramblings were cut off by a new sound, one far different from the idle chatter of passersby.

As they rounded the corner, a large pavilion like stand was set up. A group of middle aged men and women were gathered on the stage, shouting protests and waving signs. Sora's blood ran cold as the first sign came into view.

"Subjects aren't people." Roxas read it out loud, his tone that of resignation. Sora looked over, his heart cracking at the sight of seeing Roxas so dejected. He wrapped his hand around Roxas' forearm, trying to steer him away from the signs.

But they could both still see them.

"_Kill the abominations!"_

"_Man is not god!"_

"_Subjects have no right to life!"_

The protestors shouted their arguments fervently. Hateful slurs were thrown out with careless disregard, all the while families with young children just walked by. Couples averted their gaze. Sora's cracked heart began to grow angry. '_How could they be so cruel?_' Sora asked himself. '_What did they hope to gain by doing this? Why is nobody saying anything_?!'

"Sora, let's go." Roxas said, his voice completely emotionless. Sora turned, Roxas meeting his gaze evenly. Sora looked into the azure eyes of Roxas, and for a moment he thought he saw something…

Was it pain?

Whatever it was, Roxas looked away, and motioned for him to follow. "We don't want to be late for the movie." The blond said, once more, his voice eerily controlled.

Sora sighed, deciding it might be best if they left this area. He jogged to catch up to Roxas, impulsively wrapping an arm around the blond, who although didn't reciprocate the gesture, didn't stop Sora, either. Sora smiled a sad smile. "One day, people like them will know better, Roxas. One day."

Roxas looked over for a moment, before facing forward once more. "One day." He repeated, his eyes distant.

* * *

Ansem ran a hand through his white hair. The room was tense, and filled with heated conversation. The older man sat at the head of the table, and he looked on the situation with inner despair. The nations were arguing without reprieve. Ansem looked to the man who sat directly to his right, a dear friend of his, Xemnas, who nodded once, Ansem understanding his unspoken advice quite well. Ansem pressed his left hand onto the oak table, before standing abruptly and slamming his right hand against the oak surface, the resulting sound silencing the room, the twelve men and women seated abruptly looking to him.

"Enough of this bickering! We all love democracy, but this childish bickering will bring us nothing! My friends, we must settle our differences on this matter, here and now. Our economies are fluctuating because of it, and when one of us is hurt, we all feel it. You've all asked me on numerous occasions where I stand on this matter of subjects, so I'll give you my opinion now, and that will be our final decision on the matter."

The foreign dignitaries assembled, better known as the leaders of Pacific Union nations looked at President Ansem with great interest. Xemnas, the leader of the former United States, looked on with caution, but remained silent. President Ansem cleared his throat, "we will support the subjects' right to life, and all other rights ordained by the Pacific Union."

At first, there was silence. The leader of the former nation of Canada, to Ansem's left, nodded approvingly, however, this one woman seemed to be alone in her thoughts. The leader of former Japan looked to be in shock, an elder man, sitting very still. Cries of outrage and dissent suddenly burst forth as the silence broke. Xemnas looked to Ansem, and nodded once, rising from his seat, taking his leave.

As Representative Xemnas left, so too did others followed, although Ansem wasn't concerned. Xemnas held one of the most influencial seats on the council, and he did not leave out of anger, after all. Xemnas had the nations against his stance on the subjects under control, and once he announced his support of Ansem, all would be well again.

"Are you sure about this, Ansem?" Braig spoke as he woke up. Braig was much younger than Ansem, though his military experience during the Second Civil War of America showed. His right eye was missing, and covered by an eyepatch. His hair was short and black, left in a neat, military part. "How can you know for sure that Xemnas will support you?" The man asked.

Ansem smiled wearily. "Xemnas would never betray me, he believes just as strong as I do that subjects are people as well. He also won't allow the Union to be destroyed by one issue, important as it may be." The white hair man looked to Braig, though the military general seemed unconvinced.

"Of course, sir." Braig said, also taking his leave.

* * *

Sora sat with his laptop in his lap, leaning up against the wall on his bed. A news report played before him, but it only caused him to worry even more, before finally glancing over at the bed on the opposite wall. Where was Roxas? He was never late from his last class, and he had agreed to go to dinner with Sora.

Though the news caught his attention once more…

"_We go live to President Ansem, with his address to the media…" _The anchorwoman spoke calmly, before the screen flickered to a different scene.

Royal blue curtains hung in the background, solitary and motionless. The floor was a light oak hardwood, and in the centre of the picture was a glass podium, hanging off of it the Pacific Union's flag; a white background with thirteen golden starts in a circle.

A man emerged from the side of the screen, dressed in a black suit. His hair was white, though he was slim, and held himself in a proud manner. He placed his hands on the sides of the glass podium, lifting one to raise to those who cheered as he entered.

Although, those who cheered were vastly outnumbered by those who shouted hateful slander and booed without relent. Regardless, the man smiled gently, before speaking.

"_My fellow Union members. We are at a crossroads, and two paths are laid out before us. On the one side is that of denying the subjects their human rights, and the other, allowing them. We must make our decision wisely, and carefully. But sometimes the opinion of a few can poison the good will of a nation, and indeed a union. It is my decision that we will grant the subjects, who are artificially born humans from the Hearts Corporation on the pacific island owned by the company, their human rights._" Silence followed the man's proclamation.

However, a singular person's applause was heard, before boos erupted, and a grim looking man stepped onto the stage and spoke into the microphone, speaking loudly _"The president will not be taking any questions, we ask that you refer all your questions to his office_." Before clicking the microphone off and practically forcing the president off the stage.

Sora watched on in confusion. Why were so many people against it? It was just like at the mall. Voices of hatred, voices of cruelty. He shook his head, closing the program irritably. Deciding that brooding in his dorm wasn't the best of ideas, Sora pushed his laptop off his lap, and pushed himself off the bed and to his feet.

Sora looked over to the opposite side of his room, the sun shining through the clouds outside and casting a sorry light on Roxas' bed. The brunet sighed, running a hand over the red and black sheets that Roxas slept in. How was Roxas taking this? Sora wondered to himself. However, a rustling at the doors broke his concentration as the door opened and Roxas stepped through.

He seemed annoyed, his face contorted into a slight frown. Sora stepped forward as Roxas removed his shoes, worry on the brunet's face. "Roxas, is everything okay?" He asked, the blond avoiding his gaze as he made his way to his desk, spinning his chair around and offering it to Sora. The confused brunet took a seat, and Roxas sat on the edge of his bed.

"The protestors, Sora. I cannot fathom why they hate us so. Were we not all born from a sperm and an egg? How are we so different? Why do they hate us?" Roxas grumbled, before pulling out his phone, which was little more than a slim, black piece of technology with a large screen on one side. He turned it on, and tapped the screen a few times, before offering the phone to Sora to see.

The brunet took the phone, and what he saw made his blood run cold. It was the art history building on campus, and university student protesters stood outside its main doors, holding signs adorning more hateful slogans, which Roxas read aloud, his voice emotionless once more.

"_Kill the fake humans!"_

"_A test tube is not a womb!"_

"_Ansem is playing God with Hearts Corp.!"_

Sora offered the phone back to Roxas, who placed it in his pocket once more. "When they learned I was a subject, they refused to let me leave the building. I went back inside and took a window, but they followed me. I went into another dorm and used the basement tunnels to get here. I didn't want them to know where we were. They'd start harassing you, then." The blond explained, looking out the window.

Sora felt honoured, a sad smile forming on his lips. He instinctively reached out, grasping Roxas' slim hand in his own two, squeezing the blond's affectionately. "They don't understand, Roxas. They're ignorant of the truth." He tried to explain as eloquently as possible, words that he didn't want to say rising to the surface, though he kept them at bay for now. "Subjects are a miracle, for parents who never could have kids, or single people who always wanted them. The Hearts Corporation has problems, no doubt you'd agree, but they're right when it comes to this."

Roxas looked at Sora curiously, then down to his hand. "I don't understand, Sora." He said simply. "Why is it that you are kind, and they are not? When I was still at the compound, no one bothered to be polite. Why is it you are? Why is it Mother is? It seems counter intuitive, if you take into what the vast majority of the world takes as correct."

Sora chuckled, "Screw what the world thinks, Roxas! If the whole world but me and your mom are kind, then the entire world is wrong, but us two." Roxas simply raised an eyebrow, before sighing.

"I still don't understand." The blond said, though Sora smiled, shaking his head.

"You will in time, I'm sure of it." Sora nodded, though Roxas seemed unconvinced. "C'mon, let's get dinner." Sora stood, Roxas following.

* * *

Sora and Roxas sat across from one another, eating their respective dinners. The dining hall was, as per usual, crowded, and with less than excellent food. Roxas, however didn't seem to mind. He silently ate away at his meal, though the relatively peaceful time was broken by an unfamiliar voice.

A tall young man, likely a third year, stood next to Sora, and stared down at Roxas coldly. The blond paid no attention, but when the man spoke, Sora paid attention. "So this is the fake guy, eh?" He said, looking over to a young blonde woman who joined him.

She nodded, popping a bubble with her gum, "Yep, that's him. We stopped him from taking the stairs. They're for real people, after all! I don't know what the university is thinking, allowing these _things_ into the school…" She chuckled. Sora's eyes narrowed, and he looked up to the two of them.

"Sorry, could you two repeat yourselves? I think I misheard you. It sounded like you were being bigoted fucks who can't see past their own egos, self-importance, and fear of different things, that are spewing a bunch of hateful shit. After all, if you wanna do that, the washroom's a better place for your verbal bullshit." Sora said angrily, causing Roxas to look over, raising an eyebrow.

The girl gasped a little, though the taller male glared at Sora, dragging him to his feet by the brunet's collar. Sora could tell that these were quite the stereotypes, clear out of a high school story; the vapid pretty girl and the asshole jock. Typical stuff, really. "Excuse me? You wanna go, punk? Gonna stand up for your little boyfriend there? Though I guess he'd need to be a person for that to be true, so I guess he's just a fleshlight." The male jeered.

Sora's temper practically exploded at the last comment, how could anyone degrade Roxas so? Roxas was smart and polite! Sora didn't care that the guy before him was taller, and likely strong. He threw a punch, and landed it clear on the man's jaw. He stumbled backward, and Sora held his own fist. It hurt punching bone! Though the man didn't seem too affected, and shoved Sora backward, tripping him over the chair he had been dragged out of and into the window behind, a large crack appearing as Sora made contact with it.

"How dare you…" Roxas spoke calmly. With eerie speed, Roxas picked up his tray, and hurled it at the taller man, striking him dead in the nose, a sickening crunch following it as the man's nose broke. Roxas hopped onto the table and delivered a kick to the man's abdomen, before he fell forward, supporting himself on the table. Roxas finished Sora's work and delivered a swift uppercut to the man's jaw, another cracking sound being heard.

"Looks like they've been teaching you fakes to fight, too!" The blond girl retorted. Roxas stepped off the table and before her, tilting his head.

"Take your boyfriend, and have a nurse see to his injuries. His nose and jaw are broken, I made sure of it. And let me never hear or see you doing this again." Roxas spoke calmly. The blond girl nodded a few times, before helping the larger, bleeding male to his feet, as he had fallen, and leaving the building.

The dining hall was silent, everyone watching the fight. Though Roxas couldn't care less, he paced over to Sora, and kneeled at his side. Sora was awake, and he was staring at Roxas in awe. "Roxas…" He said quietly.

"I'm sorry I did that, Sora. I know it was excessive. I just… _I felt angry…_" Roxas explained, looking completely confused.

"It's okay, Roxas. You did it to defend me and yourself. You were definitely in the right on that one, even if no one agrees." Sora spoke, smiling up at Roxas. "C'mon, let's go back to the dorm."

The two stood once more, the dining hall already alive with chatter once more. Likely about how a subject had just kicked the shit out of someone twice his size. But neither Sora nor Roxas seemed to care as they left.

The two entered their dorm, the room dark with the fall of night.

Sora slipped off his shoes, sighing. "You know they're going to be pissed at you for doing that, right?" He said quietly. Roxas nodded, though he didn't speak. "Maybe… maybe we should leave the university. Go somewhere… somewhere where subjects aren't hated."

Roxas sighed as well, standing, "With what money? And where would that be? So few flights come and go from this island."

Sora ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know… It was just a thought, sorry, Roxas." Roxas quirked a golden brow, before stepping before Sora, his eyes inquisitive.

"There's nothing to apologise for, Sora. I think I should be thanking you, for standing up for me." Roxas said. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Sora and brushing his lips against the brunet's for a moment, electricity cascading through Sora at the touch. Roxas repeated himself, "Thank you."

* * *

_Well that seems like an annoying place to leave off! So it's perfect._

_The world turns in a direction that is anything but good for Roxas. Will there be hope on the horizon, or will darkness claim them before the sun rises once more?_

_Chapter four will be out soon enough!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter four of the Value of His Heart (Which is a name I absolutely adore and hope you do too). I would just like to take a moment to thank each and every reader, commenter, follower, and liker (that's a word, office word says so!). You enthusiasm and dedication to following the story warms my heart and gives me a stupid grin every time an email is spotted in my fanfictions folder._

_Anywho! Enough with the mushy stuff (though I bet you'd love me to gush on and on, because we all love praise!). When we left off, Roxas friggin' kissed Sora! What's up with that? But alas, not all is well in the world, and things may just go bad… to worse._

* * *

Sora's eyes shot open as he felt Roxas' virgin lips press on his own for but a brief second. His sea blue eyes fluttered and closed as his hands instinctively grabbed Roxas' slender ones, caressing them lovingly. Though all was ended too soon for Sora, and Roxas leant back, a _deer-in-the-lights_ look on his face.

It was really quite foreign to see on Roxas' face! But Sora felt nothing but a content, warm feeling in his stomach as the blond did not try to free his hands. Roxas opened his mouth, trying to offer his words, though he closed his mouth, and his brow creased.

Sora knew that face. Roxas was thinking of what he was going to say. It would be eloquent, well thought out, and beautiful. He knew it. Roxas' azure gaze flickered back to Sora after leaving his gaze for a moment. "I'm…" Roxas began. Sora leaned in expectantly, his thumbs rubbing the back of the blond's slender hands. "I'm not sure exactly what I just did. Or what it accomplished." Roxas said.

Sora quirked a brow, the corners of his mouth turning upwards at Roxas' confusion. "You have the highest IQ score in probably the whole damned university, and you have _no idea_ why you kissed me?" Sora said between his boisterous laughter, earning a frown from the blond.

"It's not exactly funny, you know." Roxas said sourly, almost pouting, which made Sora adore him all the more. Sora leaned in, placing his forehead on Roxas'. It really was handy they were so similar in terms of height! Sora smiled a genuine, happy, content smile. Sora slowly brought his hands up from Roxas' hands, the blond looking a little nervous and uncomfortable at all the gentle touching Sora was partaking in.

Sora, resting his hands on Roxas' elbows for a moment, merely embraced him. "I'm not making fun of you, Roxas." He spoke quietly, the entire world fading around them as Roxas' diverted gaze redirected on the brunet once more. "I think I'm about as confused as you, Roxas." Sora chuckled a little, still holding the blond close. Though Roxas had long since relaxed as Sora began speaking.

"I'm not sure I understand… But, if you don't understand, then I guess this is normal." Roxas thought to himself, nodding. "Yes, that seems to be reasonable, nor is it needlessly laborious to think about." Sora chuckled at Roxas' overanalyzing of the situation they were in, but just rolled his forehead on Roxas', nodding in agreement.

"Yeah."

* * *

Ansem held his forehead in the palms of his head. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. Of the twelve member nations, five were threatening to leave the union over this one, stupid issue. Why did everyone think it was such a big deal for subjects to have _human rights_?! Ansem couldn't comprehend it. Subjects were humans, albeit grown in a different manner, they were still humans. Something had to be funding this outrage.

It was Xemnas who spoke it so truly to Ansem, years ago, "_money is the root of all evil._" Ansem smirked to himself, how right his old friend was. But if that was indeed the case, he might just be able to find out the root of this anti-subject movement. Ansem, president of the Pacific Union, lifted his weary head and shook the mouse to his computer. He loaded up the union economic database, the one system in the union's electronic files that would surely aid him in finding the truth.

Ansem sat before his computer screen, eyes speedily scanning page after page for something that seemed to related these five angered nations with some central source. Hours passed, but the aged president did not abate, no, he continued on, before finally, something caught his eye.

"Hearts Corporation gives a six hundred billion dollar gift to each of the five disagreeing representatives in 2010…" Ansem's eyes widened. Hearts Corporation? Why would they do something like that? They made their fortune off of the artificially born human market. They owned a nearly competitor-less monopoly on the business.

Ansem picked up the phone to his right, dialing the office of the American Representative, Xemnas. The phone rang uninterrupted for a long time, Ansem's brow furrowing deeper and deeper with each successive ring. However, as it appeared Xemnas was not there, the phone was picked up, Xemnas' deep, calm voice sounding. "Yes, President? You rarely call with this number."

Ansem let out a breath he did not know he was holding, and spoke calmly. "Xemnas, I think I've figured out what in the hell is going on with the five rebelling representatives. I think they've been bribed." Silence answered Ansem's words, and the old man spoke again. "Xemnas?"

"I… I heard you, Ansem. It's just… It's a big assumption to make. Do you have any idea of who did it?" Xemnas spoke after a long pause.

Ansem frowned, "I believe it was the Hearts Corporation. They gave each representative six hundred billion dollars each three years ago."

Xemnas hmmed on the other side of the call. "This is a lot to take in. I'll have to get back to you on this, my senators want to have an emergency conference on the economic crisis we're going through."

"Right. We'll talk soon. Thank you, Xemnas. You're a true friend, the last one I've got." Ansem spoke with sad mirth in his voice.

Xemnas chuckled a little, "Right, we'll talk soon. Bye." And with that, Xemnas hung up, leaving Ansem to his own worries and thoughts.

* * *

The evening air nipped at Roxas' extremities, his face growing cold, though the blond ignored it. Such minor things were hardly of concern. All that mattered right now was simply walking by unnoticed. His shoes crunching on fallen leaves loudly as he walked by. He felt his blond spiked hair bob up and down with each stride he took, the thrum of chanting and shouting becoming ever louder.

The protestors had set up outside his dorm complex today, and as they had done before, were questioning everyone who was passing through. Roxas wasn't ashamed of what he was, being a subject seemed no different than being exceeding tall or short to Roxas. It was arbitrary and studies had shown that there was next to no difference between subjects and regular born people on most every level. All but one aspect.

Acceptance.

Roxas kept his collar flipped up, his waist length double breasted wool coat keeping him warm with autumn's onset. His collar scratched against his jaw, though he ignored it. The smartest thing to do would be to look as little like himself as possible. Few knew he was a subject, but those who did would easily give the information up to save themselves. Except Sora, of course.

Roxas rounded the corner of the block, the brick buildings casting long shadows down the street. A group of circling students was before him in the distance, though they remained ignorant of his presence, continuing to shout their hate-filled slogans. Even at this distance, Roxas could hear them.

"_Hey, ho, subjects got to go!"_ Was the first that assaulted Roxas' ears.

Following it was _"life begins at love, not with science!"_ Roxas rolled his eyes at this one, he found it exceedingly silly and cliché.

After this point, however, he had reached notable distance to the outlying protestors, who quickly rushed in, pins with red circles with lines through them over test-tubes with tiny cartoon babies inside them, some with a broken valentine's heart, with the words "Hearts Corp" written on either side. The first to come to him quickly began their rhetoric.

"Hello, brother!" A tall brunet spoke from his left. Roxas looked to the young man for a moment, though simply stopped in his tracks as they circled him. The tall brunet took this as an advantage to continue, "Are you here to support our protest? You can even sign our demand pledge we'll be sending to the university president to get rid of subjects once and for all!" The brunet pushed a clipboard before Roxas, signatures dotting countless lines, and a thick wad of pages already pulled back. "Can we count on your signature, friend?"

Roxas was silent for a moment, before looking to the brunet, who smiled a fake smile. He could see the malice behind the man's eyes. Like a panther, he was ready to pounce on his prey, if Roxas made the wrong move, or said the wrong thing. Roxas broke eye contact, letting out a breath, he stared forward, and spoke in that flat voice he had perfected. "I'd just like to get my dorm room, thank you."

A few of the protestors before him stepped back and a figure emerged from the crowd before Roxas. His hair was fiery red and spiked upward. He had teardrop tattoos below each eye, and he wore a grey hoodie with black jeans. He slung his arm around the brunet's shoulder. "Don't worry about this one, man. He's just a little down, girlfriend dumped him, is all. No biggie, eh?"

The brunet nodded, "R-right. Sorry to hear about your girlfriend, friend. When you're feeling better, come sign?" Roxas looked over, forcing a smile to his lips, though it felt horridly fake, and he nodded afterward.

"Right, I'll do that, thanks." Roxas said as he was let through. He would never show it, but his heart was pounding in his chest. That tall redhead seemed so very familiar… he couldn't place a name to the face, though. This strangely familiar person followed Roxas into the building as he swiped his keycard, entering the comparative silence of the foyer of his dorm to the clamber and ruckus of the mob outside. He turned, eyeing the redhead skeptically. "Why did you help me?" He asked, brows furrowed as he regarded the tall male.

"Well I'd be a really shitty friend if I let those psychos bag and tag your dumb ass, Roxy!" The person grinned, slinging his arm around Roxas' shoulders, though this required a fair amount of slouching for the redhead.

"… My friend? We have never met before, I think you have me confused with Ventus. Though as to why you would call him _Roxy_…" Roxas trailed off, contemplating the possible means you would nickname someone named _Ventus_ as _Roxy_. However, this newcomer broke his concentration.

"You idiot, you don't remember me?! I'm a little offended. It's me, Axel! From Hearts Corp? You're a subject, just like me. But to think they actually let you into the world, man, Mom's got some pull! Hoo boy." The young man named Axel exclaimed, dragging him into the hall so they could speak more privately.

Roxas' mind raced to his past, faces, people, names, characteristics of people, all of it. He could vaguely recall a taller boy calling him _Roxy_, but was this him? And even if it was, why should he trust him? This Axel person was very well acquainted with the anti-subject movement. Maybe he was trying to sell out his own kind- no, Roxas thought to himself sternly. Subjects are not a different race, or ethnicity. They were exactly the same as everyone else. Either way, Axel might be trying to sell him out for personal gain.

As Roxas' mind whirred contently, Axel continued talking, though Roxas had stopped listening some time ago. The blond absent mindedly continued to reminisce, his memories slowly falling together.

_Roxas sat before a glass screen, about as tall and as wide as he was. Shapes of varying colours were appearing before him, in all different places. At first, the game was very simple. About four shapes would show up on the surface, and the purpose was to touch the matching shapes with the same colours as quickly as possible. _

_It always began simply. There was one pair, a pair of orange squares. Simple enough, Roxas idly tapped them, the screen blinking in acknowledgement of his success. The game continued, the second level bringing ten shapes, this time. Two sets of matching shapes were there this time; green triangles and yellow circles. He tapped them idly, still using one hand._

_The screen blinked once more, commencing to the third stage, we he completed easily, and the fourth, and the fifth and so on. At the tenth level Roxas needed to use his other hand, which had simply been resting in his lap before. He fingers flew across the large screen, his mind at ease playing the silly game. The Keepers told him it was good practice, to __help__ him. As if he were defective._

_Roxas pursed his lips as he reached level fifteen. The screen was now covered in small shapes of varying colours, but Roxas persevered with ease and continued, his hands flying across the screen. Behind him, he vaguely recognized some sort of ruckus. Though he paid it little heed. Stopping the game only meant he would have to start it up again, until the Keepers were happy with his progress and told him to stop._

_They thought he would simply keep on going until he died. Well, that's what the young Roxas thought they thought. It was all rather pointless what they thought of him. They were all dead set on him being a Nobody, that someday he would simply 'cease working,' as one Keeper had put it. He would most assuredly stop if he became too hungry, or he had to use the washroom, or simply found the exercise to be of little value anymore, which would happen from time to time._

_And when he stopped playing one game, the Keepers would find a new one, and he'd have to learn how to master that game, and that was frankly, needlessly laborious. _

_Outside of Roxas' bored mind, he could hear the sound of struggling; one of the other subjects wasn't playing nicely with another subject. Typical, anyone of the less stable subjects, as Roxas saw them, would go insane with the monotony of the Hearts Compound. Everything was white, and stale. Everything was safe and protected. No real chance at personal growth. Their customers wanted __blank slates__, after all._

_However, fate had its ways of intervening with Roxas, or so Mother Namine had explained at one point. Whoever fate was, Roxas had decided quite early on that they were a bit of a narcissistic person. Roxas had reached level twenty, much to his own chagrin; any better and they would find a new game for him, when a shout sounded behind him, and the rush of wind behind him caught his attention._

_Roxas threw himself to the side as a chair flew into the glass screen before him, which was blinking red, warning that if he did not finish, he would not pass that level. Though this game had seen its last hurrah, and the chair connected with a clean shattering. _

_Roxas watched in silent awe, almost as if in slow motion. The chair's leading edge hit the glass screen first, which bowed backward against the chair, before a spiderweb of cracks exploded outward from the source of impact, and finally as the central point gave way and the chair began to slide through the screen, the cracks raced across the screen, before finally the structure of the screen was so totally compromised it fell into itself, shattering with a thundering of glass and electronic debris. _

_Of course, all of this had happened in mere seconds, but Roxas understood it all well, his sharp eyes catching every detail. He shifted backward, but not far enough, and a large piece of glass debris caught him in the leg, embedding itself in his flesh, as it had easily pierced his beige pants. He grunted with pain, his eyes stinging with pain-wrought tears. Though he repressed them, the Keepers wouldn't see him cry._

_A Keeper ran up to him, holding a red headed boy by the arm roughly. "Ah shit, the Nobody got glass in his leg. Come with me, ya' dumbass." The portly man grabbed Roxas by the arm and hauled him to his feet. Roxas silently complied, though putting any weigh on his left leg was painful, likely due to the sizable chunk of glass sticking out of it. _

_Had anyone even though to remove it and tell him to put pressure on the wound? Of course not, walking with glass in your leg made much more sense. Idiotic Keepers. He idly thought to himself as they walked out the room and into a bland, stale white hallway. They walked silently down the hall, though it was more akin to being dragged by the Keeper. _

_The Keeper lead Roxas and the redheaded boy into another room, evidently a clinic of sorts. The man grumbled something, and walked out, leaving the two in silence. Roxas took a seat on one of the beds slowly, wincing as he put pressure on his left leg. He looked down to the wound, blood had seeped into his pants and far down his leg. He frowned, and touched the shard of glass, wincing._

_He eyed the piece of glass for a long moment, considering the most painless way of removing it, before the other boy spoke up. "I saw you playing that game. Are you a Nobody?" He asked. Roxas looked up, a golden eyebrow raised. _

"_I don't know. Perhaps I am, I'm not entirely sure what the Keepers classify as a Nobody." Roxas said simply, looking back down to the glass before gripping it by the outermost point and grabbing the side and wrenching it out, gasping in pain. The redhead boy walked up._

"_Didn't that hurt?" He asked, his voice exasperated. Roxas shrugged, pressing a hand into the wound to keep pressure on it. "I'm Axel, by the way."_

"_Roxas." The blond said simply. "And yes, it does hurt."_

"_You aren't very talkative, are you?" Axel grinned. "But you're kind of a badass. I think I'ma chill with you for a while, before they put be in a windowless room or something."_

_Roxas didn't quite understand the reference, but he decided that maybe, just maybe, Axel wasn't that bad_.

"Yo! Blondy! Wake up." Axel smack Roxas upside the head, causing the blond to leer at him. "Get to your dorm, the psychos are moving their shit-storm inside."

Roxas nodded once, "Right. I'll be going then." He spoke quickly, already walking towards the staircase at the end of the hall.

"Yo, Roxas! Find me when things go down heavy, alright?" Axel called from him. Roxas stopped in the hallway, considering the words. When what got heavy? Did Axel expect him to gain a tremendous amount of weight? Did he plan to gain a lot of weight? It certainly would slow the anti-subject protestors from carrying him off to kill him, or whatever it was that they did.

Roxas, deciding Sora would have the answer, nodded once and continued on his way.

* * *

President Ansem paced his office slowly, awaiting the arrival of Xemnas. He had to get the message out, it was imperative that he did!

Before him lay a nondescript, beige file folder sitting on his messy desk. His desk phone continued to ring, though the man ignored it. The fading sun shone in from the windows behind him, casting a calming orange glow over his officer. Ansem turned, looking out the window. He always admired the west coast for its costal views. The waves crashed on the sandy beaches of California, lapping at the quiet shore. A shallow breeze waved through the palm trees, which rustled calmly.

Though for all the beauty the scene offered, Ansem's mind continued to whirr. The Hearts Company, the five heads of the rebelling states, the economy, subjects… His mind was drowning in the ramifications. Though for all his worrying, a knock at the door and the turn of a knob, his fears lessened some. A rather tired looking Xemnas stepped into his office, nodding to the woman who allowed him in, "Thank you." He spoke quietly, before looking to Ansem. "Well, you've flown me from DC to California, I hope this is good old friend, the Senate and Congress are up in arms over the most recent taxation hike the Union fund has proposed." For the economic worries he spoke of, Xemnas still held himself in a calm demeanor.

"I'm sorry, Xemnas, but I needed to talk to you in person, I can trust no one else." Ansem stepped forward, taking a seat at his desk, Xemnas doing the same across from him. The elder president sighed wearily, "the Hearts Corporation is a puppet, nothing more."

Xemnas quirked a brow, "For whom, exactly?"

Ansem shook his head, "I don't know. Someone _is_ pulling the strings though. They've set it up to make it look like the subjects are to blame for the five rebelling representatives sending their countries into bankruptcy. Someone very high up has a deep hatred for subjects, and they're going to turn all of them into a symbol of hatred for the masses. There will be riots against the subjects. People will think that the subjects are here to destroy their way of life. It will be terrible." Ansem took a deep breath afterward, as Xemnas seemed entirely calm.

Xemnas did indeed remain calm. "Ah Ansem. You naïve fool." Xemnas stood once more, shaking his head.

Ansem quirked a brow, "What do you mean?"

Xemnas flourished a hand, motioning to the windows behind Ansem. Ansem turned, seeing that the sun had set on the peaceful scene. The ocean continued to lap at the shore, though the wind had calmed. "The Sun has set on your reign, Ansem. Though I thought it would a long time ago." Xemnas said, the rustling of fabric causing Ansem to turn back.

Xemnas held a gun, pointed casually at Ansem. The old president's eyes widened. "Why, Ansem?"

"Do you not see it yet, you fool? I _am_ the mysterious benefactor you couldn't find. Hiding in plain sight. But, we can't have you mucking up my plans." Xemnas spoke calmly as always, loading the weapon with the pull of his thumb.

Ansem took a step back, "Xemnas, think of what you're doing!" Though Xemnas shook his head slowly, tsking.

"I have, Ansem. I have. Now, say goodnight, for the morning to come is one you will not see." Xemnas said, smirking, his finger pulling back on the trigger.

The gunshot rang out, and Ansem stumbled backward, his hand clutching at his stomach, a growing spot of blood on the white suit he wore. "W-why…?" He rasped, before collapsing backward and into the wall, the coppery smell of blood and gun powder mixing in the room.

"Because, Ansem. The world will be mine." Xemnas said as he walked over to Ansem's desk, and picking up the file so carefully laid there. "But this… shall not leave this room, I am afraid, old friend." He looked down to the still body of Ansem, before procuring a lighter from his pocket, and with the flick of his thumb, the invaluable document was set ablaze, and like so many documents of its kind before, dropped into a garbage bin, ignored to burn itself into oblivion.

* * *

Sora paced worriedly from each side of their dorm. He could see the protestors moving inside their dorm. He walked back over to his bed, picking up his phone. No texts, no calls.

"Damnit, Roxas… Where are you…" Sora grumbled, tossing his phone back onto the bed. However, a bleep from his computer distracted him, and he turned to it, swiping his hand across the trackpad. A message from Ventus blinked in his facebook. He opened the chatlog, and read it, a frown growing.

"_Dude, this is bad. Seriously, check this out."_ Below was a link, which Sora hesitantly clicked.

Sora sighed, his heart plummeting as he read the title before him; _President Ansem, Killed By Subjects in Office_. Sora's stomach churned in his gut, a sickening feeling telling him that things were about to get a whole lot worse.

The sound of the door opening to their dorm didn't register to Sora as he read on in the article.

_Representative Xemnas of the United States of America has been declared president of the Pacific Union until the general elections in June. President Ansem is reported to have been murdered in his office by a mad subject, who was quoted saying "things will change, and for the Heart Corporation." The man was disguised as a security guard, and was gunned down upon the murder of President Ansem. A governmental inquiry has been launched into the Hearts Corporation._

Roxas read the article silently over Sora's shoulder, the brunet seated before his desk. Sora looked up, almost jumping at the sudden presence of Roxas, though his heart instantly jumped into his throat at the sight of the blond being unharmed. "Roxas, I…" The words wouldn't come, though. Sora looked to Roxas, he felt tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. Why was he crying? Roxas was the subject, he was the one everyone would hate, would blame for all the problems in the world.

The blonde spared no words, immediately embracing the brunet as he stood. "Sora…" He said, finding himself needing Sora's warmth, his comfort, his unconditional caring now more than ever.

The two stood silently, arms wrapped around each other as the world around them began to go to hell.

* * *

_And that is chapter four._

_Times have gotten quite bad, and the future does not bode well for our adorable Sora and fascinating Roxas. But so many questions remain…_

_What will Xemnas' rule bring? What are his true goals? What does he have planned for the subjects? How will Roxas and Sora survive a world where subjects are the perceived source for all problems?_

_Some of these questions may be answered in the next chapter. Stay tuned for Chapter Five, when a new day dawns._


	5. Chapter 5

_Aha, I am not dead!_

_Chapter five is here for your reading pleasure. When we last left off, Xemnas had shot Ansem, and is now the defacto ruler of the Pacific Union! But what will this bring? Moreover, how will Sora and Roxas combat an increasingly hateful world? Surely, there must be reasonable people out there to support them_.

It had been a week since Roxas had been accosted by those protestors and saved by Axel. But since then, he'd seen nothing of the eccentric red head. Had he been caught by the growing supporters to the anti-Subject movement? It was possible, and moreover likely. But Roxas found his mind becoming a bit twisted in his priorities.

He should be leaving Hearts University, he should go somewhere safe. Roxas looked out the window of his dorm from the vantage point of his bed. The blinds were left open – Sora had admitted to having an irrational fear of the dark, and Roxas didn't mind obliging him to keeping the blinds open to provide a nightlight of sorts. He found this phobia of Sora's, along with the brunet's other various quirks to be endearing. Though this merely confused the blond more. People's faults were so needlessly laborious, for they dampened their means of explaining things, and slowed their cognitive reasoning. But here he was, silently admiring Sora's fear of the dark.

He shifted in his bed, the blankets rustling around as he folded his arms under his pillow. The moon was out in all its grandeur, offering a pale light over the quiet campus. The stars twinkled in the distance. The moon, the stars… It was tranquil and quiet, a nice reprieve from the growingly hectic school life that the protestors were making for Subjects. The blond stretched his legs out under his sheets, sighing as his weariness was fiercely combated by his mind. His head slipped to the left, and he found himself gazing upon the sleeping form of Sora.

The brunet was crumpled up in some sort of pseudo-fetal position crossed with a half Nelson with his sheets. Sora's sheets were largely crumpled up in his sleeping grip, and their remnants covered the lower half of his body. Roxas had admitted to himself many times that he did not understand Sora. Everything he did seemed to be so… erratic, but at the same time, there was a deep brilliance to Sora. Not academic intelligence like an average university or college student, but a deep and intrinsic understanding of people. Empathy. That was the word Roxas was looking for. Sora was very empathetic.

Whether Roxas realized it or not, he himself was very stressed. His weight had dropped, and his sleeping, as it showed now, was very erratic. Sora seemed to realise this, and though he didn't say much about it, Roxas found the brunet almost always at his side. At first Roxas had found it a bit off-putting, considering Sora found the best time to talk to Roxas was when the latter was writing a paper or doing notes. But he soon found the conversation that Sora offered to be relaxing; it didn't require immense choices that could affect his life, or change how he would be perceived, it was merely friendly banter. Roxa quickly learned to appreciate this.

Nevertheless, not even Roxas was sure about many things that he had done relating to Sora. Why had he kissed him? Why did he let Sora embrace him so frequently? They had other friends, of course, but none of them would dare to _touch_ Roxas. Well, except Axel, but he would likely molest a teddy bear without even realising people thought it was generally wrong. Roxas shut his azure eyes, deciding to try to force sleep. Ever since he had met Axel again, memories from his past had begun to come to back to him. Roxas wasn't sure why they did, but they always came in his sleep. He even wrote them down for future reference, in case the information therein was actually true and needed later on.

He let out a silent yawn, and his slender frame stilled. His senses began to dull with the peaceful silence of the night overtaking them. His body felt light, and his mind was slowly blurring. His mind drifted aimlessly, from his various school subjects, to the weather, to recent politics with the rise of President Xemnas, to finally Sora. As Roxas drifted off to sleep, he found himself thinking of Sora's smile, and of all the things in the world he had experienced thus far, and to further his own confusion, he valued Sora and his sweet, beautiful smile the most.

Across the hall, Vanitas too found himself being ignored by the Sandman's peaceful call. His black hair rustled against the pillow below, and he found his covers restricting and annoying. He opened his tired, amber eyes, and found himself facing the wall. He turned onto his back, smoothing out his covers with his strong arms, before letting his head fall to the side, and looking to the sleeping form of Ventus.

Vanitas' frustration was subdued as he looked on the sleeping form of his beloved Ventus. The two of the had fallen in love as soon as they met, back in junior high, though it wouldn't be until their senior year of high school either would admit it. Ventus would often ask Vanitas to sleep in his bed, but Vanitas refused this night, worrying his restlessness would keep his beloved boyfriend awake and rob him of sleep as well.

Of course, it made no sense to Vanitas as to why Ventus could sleep and yet he could not. Ventus was of a sad minority on campus; those who were going to be robbed of their human dignity if the rioting member nations of the Pacific Union had their way. Ventus was a Subject. Vanitas' gaze stayed on the sleeping blond as he recalled another he knew to be a Subject. The quiet first year across the hall, Roxas. Vanitas had been around Ventus long enough to understand how to tell if someone was a Subject, mostly by the clothing they wore when they first came to school. And by the looks of it, Roxas was likely what Ventus referred to, with great sadness, a Nobody.

Vanitas had learned from Ventus that Nobodies were what the Hearts Corporation perceived as _failed_ Subjects. Nobodies were Subjects who, for some reason or another, didn't develop personalities of some sort. They were fully functional in terms of their ability to eat, sleep, and learn basic commands, such as where to relieve one's bowels or bladder, but beyond that, they could not speak, and did not appear to have any emotions. The idea of such people disturbed Vanitas, but he couldn't help but feel bad for them, to think that these Nobodies were just tossed aside. According to Ventus, there were a few of his generation of Subjects that bordered both of brilliance and Nobody status. They could accumulate vast amounts of knowledge, had excellent motor functions, could learn many languages, but rarely spoke, if at all.

Ventus was believed to be one of these, however his would be parents had been undeterred and, against the advice of the Hearts Corporation, adopted him ten years ago. Vanitas had indeed met Ventus' parents and considered them a second set of parents. They were hardworking people who loved their son unconditionally, and were overjoyed to learn that he had found someone to love in his life, and that he had come so far. Vanitas smiled nostalgically, times back then were so much simpler than now. Back then, there were no worries that your boyfriend could be disallowed human rights for no discernible reason. The newest president, Xemnas, had yet to give his public opinion on the matter, so what were these rioting states complaining about?

Vanitas shook his ebon hair back and forth on his pillow, deciding that worrying about it in the middle of the night would give him nothing but wrinkles and a tired mind in the morning. He threw back the covers of his bed and stood, stretching and yawning contently, before the sound of his padded feet was heard and he made his way over to Ventus' bed. The raven haired young man placing a hand on Ventus' face, rubbing it affectionately.

Ventus stirred, his blearly blue eyes opening with a flutter of eyelids. His voice was dry, but his mouth curved into a smile upon seeing Vanitas standing before him. "Hey Vani… Changed your mind?" He said sleepily.

Vanitas nodded, "Yeah, Ven, can't sleep, may as well stop you from sleeping, too." Ventus nodded, shifting backward in his bed, and allowing Vanitas to slip in. The twin bed was a little tight for two nearly fully grown males like Ventus and Vanitas, but neither minded. "You know, Ven, we should hang out with Roxas and Sora sometime…"

Ventus nodded tiredly, snuggling close to Vanitas. "Yeah… Maybe Roxas will come out of his shell. I swear I know him from the Compound…" Vanitas nodded in return, closing his eyes as he laid an arm over the tired blond.

"Yeah, maybe. Love you, Ven…" He yawned, and relaxed his suddenly tired body.

Ventus shifted inward, closer to Vanitas, and spoke into his pillow, "Love you too, Vani…"

The morning found a break in normality for Sora as when he walked to the elevator, as he was joined by a rather messy looking Ventus. The blond looked incredibly similar to Roxas, the only difference being Ventus was about three inches taller than Roxas. "Hey Sora!" He yawned, scratching his stomach which was poorly covered by a half opened dress shirt, which was classily paired with a pair of pajama bottoms.

"Hey Ven, sleep well?" Sora chuckled, nudging the sleepy blond. Sora had quickly become friends with Ventus, due to their shared relaxed, kind hearted approaches to life. Sora found that he looked up a great deal to Ventus, even though he was only two years older. "Or did Vanitas keep you up _all night_?" He grinned wickedly.

Ventus laughed broadly, ruffling Sora's already messy hair. "Get your head outta the gutter, Sora, I just hate mornings. And I'll have you know that, living in the room across from us, you'll _know_ if Vanitas kept me up all night." Ventus said with a sly smirk, which only caused Sora to laugh further.

"Thanks for the info, man!" Sora chuckled. The elevator dinged and the metal doors slid open, revealing an empty space, devoid of humans, though smelling distinctly of liquor and weed. The two stepped in, and Ventus hit the general floor button, before speaking once more.

"So Sora, Vani and I were talking and we think you, Roxas and us should hang out! Like a double date. What do you say?" Ventus inquired casually, though the latter part of his question brought a flush to Sora's cheeks.

"W-We're not dating, but sure, that sounds fun! Four friends hanging out. When?" Sora's blush slowly faded as he changed topics, forcefully removing the thought of the kiss that he and Roxas shared in their room.

Ventus looked away in thought for a quick moment, before looked back as the elevator dinged, the doors opening to the main floor. "Why not today? We could try that pub where apparently the owners don't charge Subjects more." Ventus suggested innocently, though his eyes belied greater knowledge, causing Sora to look away for a moment.

"Uh, yeah, sure! I don't think Roxas drinks but I bet he'll come to observe anyways. Consider it a date – uh, not a date, but friends hanging out – oh you get what I mean…" Sora facepalmed, though this caused Ventus even more laughter.

The blond let forth a boisterous laugh, before walking off to the doors to their dorm, "Sure Sora, whatever you say. See you tonight at, say, five!" He gave a wave of his hand as he stepped out of their dorm, and into the early morning outside.

Sora continued on his way, picking up his laundry he had begun the night before, and returned to his room, to find to his shock, Roxas _still_ asleep. The brunet placed the basket of clothing on his own bed and paced quietly to Roxas' bed, where the blond lay quietly. Sora found himself smiling as he looked down upon Roxas. His face was calm, one arm laid over his chest and the other rested at his side. Sora almost didn't want to wake the blond, but knew Roxas wouldn't be happy if he missed his classes because of sleep. Sora slowly reached forward, suddenly incredibly conscious of the fact that he was going to _touch_ Roxas. Sure, he had hugged the blond, much against his will, many times, and there had been the kiss, but this seemed different…

His hand shakily was pressed onto Roxas' bare shoulder, and he caressed the blond's smooth, pale skin with his thumb, before shaking his shoulder lightly, the blond's eyes slowly opening. Sora quickly retracted his hand, though it carried a distinctly warm and comforting feeling. Roxas looked up wearily, dark bags hanging around his tired eyes as he peered at Sora. "What time is it…?" The blond said wearily, sitting up in bed.

Sora glanced at the clock on Roxas' desk. "It's ten to nine, figured you wouldn't want to be late for class. But you never sleep in! Didn't sleep well last night?" Sora said, peering at the blond, though he found his attention split between his concern for the blond and the display before him. Roxas sat in bed, his chest displayed for Sora and only Sora to see. He had seen Roxas without a shirt on in that store, but this also seemed different. Roxas was slim, but well built, and his firm pectorals and strong stomach seemed to accentuate this fact.

Sora found a blush slowly rising to his face as he very unsubtly ogled Roxas, though the blond returned Sora to reality as he spoke. "Eight fifty? Thanks, I'll get ready, now." Roxas threw off the covers, though his legs were covered by tasteful pajama bottoms. The blond quickly stood and walked into the washroom, closing the door behind him.

As he did, Sora let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Oh crap… Sora wasn't really falling for Roxas, was he?

Night came and, much to Roxas chagrin, Sora, Roxas, Ventus and Vanitas found themselves sitting at a dimly lit booth, with Roxas and Sora facing Ventus and Vanitas. The lighting was peaceful and relaxing, and tasteful mixed drinks sat before the four of them. The seating was soft and inviting, deep green cushioned seats allowed a weary student to relax with a drink after a long and grueling day. Sora found that he loved the little pub. It was quiet, but not silent, for various groups of students of all ages sat, laughing, chatting, and clinking drinks to various toasts.

Ventus was currently waving his arms about as he told the story of his first day of regular junior high and how he met Vanitas. The blond threw his arms into the air, "… and so I'm standing in this completely empty hall when this bell rings, and I'm thinking 'oh man, is there a fire?!' But all these kids burst out of the classes on either side of me and start hurrying down the halls. But none of them seemed panicked! So naturally I assumed they were okay with death and got even _more_ freaked out. Oh it was horrible! I'm having a heart attack between a class change, and no one seems to realise why, until this emo little prick walks up and says, 'what's your problem? Look like you pissed yourself.' So I ask him why people weren't freaking out and why they wanted to die and he just smacks me upside the head, and goes, 'you idiot, it's a period change! C'mon, you dumbass, come with me.' And he takes me to the office to figure out what my next class. Turns out my next class was with this vulgar kid, but he was by my side from then on, and his name was Vanitas." Ventus smiled at the now blushing Vanitas, who tried to hide his pink cheeks by looking to the side, but Ventus merely laughed and grabbed Vanitas' hand, squeezing it affectionately.

Roxas nodded thoughtfully, "so you're a Subject? I am as well. So someone adopted you when you were about… eleven or twelve?" The younger blond inquired curiously.

Ventus nodded, "Yeah, my parents are awesome, and they were totally cool with Vani and I. It's been great, really." Ventus blinked, ducking his head, "oh, sorry Roxas! I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

The younger blond shrugged, "how would it be offensive? It's not as if you specifically stopped me from being adopted. Just how the world works, I guess." Sora looked to the enigmatic Roxas, studying him thoughtfully. He seemed to like Ventus and relate to him. Though, Sora found it was hard to not like Ventus' outgoing and friendly nature. "I must say, though, it's fascinating to meet another Subject similar to myself. Gen.13, right?" Roxas inquired, leaning forward.

Ventus nodded, "Yeah, one of the first of Generation 13. I take it you're Gen.13, too? I guess it'd make sense, what without how freakin' similar we look! I bet Vani here has all sorts of nefarious plans for us." Ventus grinned wickedly, though Vanitas looked over, his blush subsided.

"I wasn't thinking that!" Vanitas said grouchily, grumbling irritably. Though this only cause Ventus to smile further, and shake his head as laughed.

"Don't mind Vani, he's just a bit of a scrooge when he doesn't know people too well. He'll warm up to you. He'll never admit it, but he's a sweet guy. You should see the poems he's written for me!" Ventus gushed, Vanitas blushing deeply again, though a smile played on the ebon haired young man.

Sora looked over to Roxas, "Will you write poetry for me, Roxy? Pleeeeease!" He begged the blond, but this only seemed to confuse Roxas. Roxas looked at Sora, completely baffled as to the meaning of writing a poem for Sora would entail. The brunet watched as the gears spun in Roxas' head, the blond thinking deeply.

"Okay." Roxas said simply. "It's not as if—" However, Roxas was cut off by the loud smashing open of the door and the heavy thunk of boots. The four turned, looking to the entrance where men in grey combat armour stood stoically. In the centre of them was a man in a black longcoat, and he spoke broadly to all those in the pub.

"This establishment is hereby seized in the name of the Pacific Union under Section Seventy Two of the United Pacific Nations Act." The man looked around at the confused patrons. "All patrons are hereby ordered to leave the establishment or be subject to the fullest extent of the law."

But, to Sora's shock, Roxas stood, and spoke calmly. "There is no section seventy-two of the United Pacific Nations Act. It ends at section 71."

The central man laughed a hollow laugh. "Evidently you don't know your facts. A seventy-second section was added to the Act by President Xemnas, as a response to the murder of his predecessor, President Ansem, by terrorist Subjects. Section Seventy-Two allows the military the unlimited search and seizure of any public, or privately owned establishment or house in the response of terrorist-Subject actions, and this pub has been marked as a prime organisation ground for Subjects."

Now, it was Vanitas who stood, his powerful brows knit in anger. "And who is the president to impose such biased hatred? The Subjects of the university couldn't have had anything to do with the assassination of President Ansem! I demand to speak to your superior!" Vanitas spoke loudly and with passion, though Ventus was speaking quietly to him, begging and urging him to sit down.

Though the man in the centre of the army troops merely laughed. "You don't demand anything of me, boy." His hand rustled under his coat, before a deafening bang was heard, and blood splattered Roxas, Sora, and Ventus. The three looked up to see a growing spot of blood on Vanitas' chest. The raven haired young man looked down to it, his face shocked, before he stumbled backward, into the booth.

A woman nearby screamed in horror, and patrons began fleeing the pub with the hurrying of footfalls. Though Sora, nor Roxas moved. Ventus reached forward, "Vani…?" He said quietly, his shaky hand placed on Vanitas' shoulder. Though Vanitas was still, and did not move. Ventus let out a choked cry, gripping Vanitas by both shoulders, standing before him, the table shoved backard. "Vanitas!? Say something! Don't die on me! I can't live without you!" Ventus cried hoarsely, the raven haired teen's eyes drifting to meet Ventus'.

"Venny…" Vanitas' voice was coarse and rough. "I… love you…" He said quietly, before his head fell to the side, and his eyelids slid halfway closed. Ventus screamed in sheer agony, his heart shattering as Vanitas' head fell. He leaned in close, tears falling down the sides of his face freely.

"I… I love you too, Vani…" He sobbed thickly, slumping over the stilled form of Vanitas as the rush of people did not subside. Roxas was the first of the two of them to stand, placing a hand on Ventus shoulder, causing the elderly blond to look up, before looking back down to Vanitas once more. Sora stood as well, bracing a knee against the booth and held Ventus close as he sobbed.

Roxas and Sora looked into one another's eyes, the horrible recognition of the truth dawning upon them as Ventus wept hoarsely and without reprieve. The world had indeed begun to change. And not for the better.

_Oh man, that was really sad! I hate writing sadness, but it's necessary. The brutal regime of President Xemnas has begun, and Vanitas is one of the many casualties that will come from it. _

_Roxas now finds himself in a world that no longer accepts what he is, and will do whatever it takes to be rid of him and all his kind, and any of those, such as Vanitas, who would oppose them._

_As the world is ushered into an era of hatred and terror, how will Sora and Roxas survive? Or will they survive at all?_

_Moreover, is there even room in this new, hate filled world for Sora and Roxas' growing feelings?_

_To be continued in chapter six._


	6. Chapter 6

_Huzzah, chapter six has finally arrived. I apologise for the wait, as I have been terribly preoccupied with upcoming midterms and the like. Though let us hope you enjoy chapter six. _

_When we left off, Vanitas had been killed by the Pacific Union army, leaving Ventus broken and grieving. Subjects are becoming increasingly marginalised in society, for the world begins to turn in a new and dark direction._

_As a prerequisite to reading this chapter, it is quite long, so take it in strides if you're not used to such a long read!_

Ventus sat on Sora's bed, the brunet having an arm sympathetically drawn about the taller blond, who, having cried many hours, simply sat there, eyes bloodshot and with bags hanging from them. He simply sat, silent, slumped forward. His eyes were unfocused and gazed blindly at the ground.

Roxas sat in Sora's desk chair, observing Ventus thoughtfully. Ventus seemed so similar to him… Had he met him at the Hearts Compound? It was possible, but unlikely; Roxas would've surely remembered someone so similar to himself. He shook the thought out of his mind. Other things needed considering. More pertinent things. Roxas had to plan his next move carefully. Did he risk leaving the university and going somewhere more accepting of Subjects?

On the surface, such thoughts made perfect sense. Though Roxas had no passport, and it seemed logical that, if the government did not care for Subjects, they would make travel near impossible. It was a difficult gambit, and his options were thin. And then, of course, there was the topic of Sora.

Sora. What would Roxas do about Sora? The blond was confused and confabulated by Sora to no end. He found himself doing things that, otherwise, he would not even entertain the thought of. His faculties became somewhat diminished when Sora was around. Maybe Sora was having some sort of negative influence on Roxas, maybe distancing himself would allow him to test such. But, a nagging part in the back of Roxas' mind tugged at him, it said such was an ill-thought venture; it was a bad idea.

Why was it an unwise idea? Whenever someone had been problematic in Roxas' life before, he had simply ignored them. Such had led to him knowing nearly nobody in the Hearts Compound, but he did not mind that, they were all so immature and simpleminded. They bored Roxas, and he bored them. Though Sora was different… he intrigued Roxas. How did Sora make the decisions he made? What factors did he take into account when making those decisions? It was fascinating, but oh so laborious and time consuming to ponder. Action had to be taken, but action without proper forethought would be fraught with disaster.

Roxas was stooped over in the chair, brows furrowed in thought, hands folded before his face. Sora looked over to him, quirking a brow, and spoke quietly. "Everything alright, Roxas?" His voice was soft and restrained. Nonetheless, the broken Ventus looked over, his eyes weary and sad.

Roxas' thoughts stopped as he registered Sora's question. It didn't seem to make sense. The answer was obvious. Of course nothing was _alright_. He was being hunted down simply for existing, for the _crime_ of existing. But something told him that Sora did not ask for such superficial details. But what could he mean, then?

"… Roxas?"

This time, Roxas canted his head up, his golden eyebrows relaxing. "I could not say, Sora… This is a tumultuous time; extremist ideologies are on the verge of warring over Subjects, and I worry Vanitas is just the first of many casualties. Perhaps… perhaps I should go. Leave Hearts University, and go somewhere alone. Somewhere where I won't bring harm to those around me." Roxas spoke evenly and measured, as always. But his words seem to have an adverse effect on Sora.

"You can't just… go, Roxas! And if you have to go, you can't go alone. And, I…" Sora trailed off, looking away and scratching his head. Roxas perked a brow, staring into Sora's eyes. They seemed so… alive… With emotion and passion, two things Roxas was told he had none of for many years. "… I don't want to lose you. I'm… I'm not as strong as Ventus, I couldn't… even the thought…" Sora trailed off, looking downward.

Ventus seemed to perk up at this. "Sora…" His voice was dry and and hoarse. "Roxas." He looked to the blonde, and continued. "You know just as well as I do, that there's no way in hell they'd let a Subject go take a plane to some enemy country where you'd be accepted. And they can always find us, if they really want to. We've been implanted with trackers. They've been there since we could walk." Ventus explained, sighing.

Roxas took the information given with intrigue. He had always theorised as such, but Ventus confirming it was very helpful. "Then we need new identities." Roxas said simply. "People who can get around with little problem." Though he sighed, "But it would still be safer if I went alone." Sora shook his head defiantly, his eyes steeling with determination.

"I won't let you go alone, Roxas. You're my friend, and I won't let you throw yourselves to the wolves. But besides, how could we get new identities? Sand our fingerprints off and dye our hair? This isn't a movie. Plus, you two have trackers, don't you?" Sora placed a hand on Ventus' shoulder, looking to the grieving blond, who nodded. Sora stood, and paced over to his desk, next to Roxas, and booted his laptop up. "There's got to be someone who can help…"

"I think I know someone who can, Sora." Roxas said simply. Ventus and Sora looked over at him in surprise. "Her name is Mother Namine, she said she would help me, if I needed it. Let's see if she can help us."

Ventus pushed himself to a stand. "I'll help you, Roxas. For Vanitas, who stood up for us both…" His eyes glistened with the thought of Vanitas' strong, determined smile flashing through his mind, and he steeled himself, knitting his brow and spoke firmly, "I'll avenge Vanitas. I'll kill whoever's to blame for his death."

"Death doesn't bring life, Ventus." Roxas added calmly. Ventus looked to the similar blond, confused for a moment, but softened, nodding. If Ventus was one thing, it was understanding. He was very much like Sora that way, Roxas mused.

"Yes, you're right, Roxas. But it will bring justice, and maybe save other supporters and Subjects alike."

"Yeah, justice. For Vanitas." Sora nodded, and Roxas stood, the three exchanging determined glances.

The room around her was white, pure, save for the assortment of books covering a few shelves behind her, and three notebooks on her desk. The computer before her was white, and she typed away speedily, her fingers rapping against the plastic with ease as she communicated her concerns to her superior.

It was late, and the normally spectacular light that made her office glow like a summer's day was gone, leaving her to the cold lighting of florescent tubes above. A slight chill ran through the office, though she ignored it. Such was the consequence of so many windows in an office at night. She paused in her typing, her eyes drifting to her right and out the window, where the calm slosh of waves broke against the sandy beach against the distance.

She had took him there when he was very little. It was a memory she cherished. A memory among so few before he was deemed a Nobody. But he was not the first, and would not be the last. As hard as she tried, she could not correct the systems of the Hearts Corporation. Her superior would never listen. Regardless, she stared, watching the inky waters roll up over the sand, and recede back into the endless depths of the ocean.

She was almost entranced by the motion of the water, that when a knock came from the double doors on the far side of the room, she jumped a little. "Come in." Her voice was calm and poised, and the door before her opened. A young looking man, no more than twenty walked in with the clack of dress shoes. His hair was dirty blond, and pulled back off his forehead, and down his neck, though a few bangs remained.

Of the Subjects she watched, she found Demyx to be, by far, the most lighthearted. Demyx had been long since adopted away, but he had taken up an internship at Hearts Corporation to help the younger Subjects, who often found themselves confused with their reality as artificially created humans. Demyx walked up to her desk, and took a seat on the edge, looking out the window. As per usual, Demyx wore a black suit, with a white shirt and a silly, cheesy tie with all sorts of stringed instruments on it. "You have a pretty view, mom." He said simply, looking over at her and smiling.

Namine sighed, smiling back a little. "I do, don't I? It's beautiful, but its beauty can help me right now. There's so much injustice, and I… my heart, my dear little boy… I feel so guilty." She sighed, looking down for a moment, before she felt a warm hand encompass her right hand, which sat idly on the keyboard.

"You're an excellent mother, and it's not your fault he sold out the company for his own profit. We just need to do what's best for all the Subjects we can. It's just as you said, you're their mother, it's your job." He smiled brightly, and Namine's heart warmed at Demyx's inspirational words. He was so young, but in his own, lighthearted way, could heal any heavy heart.

Namine squeezed his hand affectionately, "Dearest child… You have such a beautiful soul, did you know that? I cannot imagine why anyone would ever question the existence of your heart. But I have news for you, Demyx. There's going to be a reunion, soon." She beckoned him to her side of the desk, and he obliged, letting go of her hand, hopping off and walking around to the other side, peering at the screen, his eyes widening.

"No way…!" Demyx said, utterly shocked. But Mother Namine nodded calmly, her serene nature implying she knew even more than what the map showed. "Ventus and _**Roxas**_ of all people are on their way home? Why?" Demyx looked to Mother, and she met his gaze calmly.

"The world will no longer accept them. I do hope Vanitas is with Ventus, that boy is always such a delightful guest, he even got a few of your quieter brothers and sisters angry once, you know." Namine laughed a light, little laugh, finding the worries for her children lessening with the laughter. "You really do have a talent with people, Demyx. It must be why you're so soulful when you play an instrument."

Demyx laughed nervously, looking away. "You think? Thank you… I wonder what _the_ Roxas would think if he heard me play… Or Ventus. Gosh, Ventus is coming home! I haven't seen him since we were little! And Roxas, I never even got to meet him…"

"I'm sure you two will get along well. Roxas, like all of you, is very unique…" Namine said quietly. Though in the back of her mind, she knew that she could only help them so much. Their fate would fall into their own hands very soon.

Ventus, Sora and Roxas had been driving for about four hours without stop when the sun began to rise over to the ocean to their left. The air was cool outside, the night air still clinging to the land as the sun began to rise. Roxas sat in the driver's seat, being by far the least susceptible to fatigue when they left. The car was quiet, Sora sat in the passenger seat, fast asleep, with his head tilted to the side, facing Roxas. Ventus laid in the back booth, having quickly fallen asleep once they got in, the events of the previous day making him emotionally and physically exhausted.

Roxas was not entirely sure, but he thought he felt empathy for Ventus. He didn't understand what love was, but he knew it was something very important to people, and that Ventus had lost someone he loved very dearly. Such must be very hard for him to accommodate mentally, Roxas mused. His eyes drifted to the dawning sun that began to peak over the watery horizon in the distance.

Rays of light began to shine across the land as the sun rose higher through minutes passing. Roxas flipped down the sunshade, and moved it to his side window, the sun blinding him somewhat. Though the obnoxiously loud clack that the shade made when removed from its holder was responded with a snort from Sora in his sleep, the brunet mumbling.

Knowing Sora, he would not wake up for a little while yet, and it left Roxas to think. What did Ventus have planned? He had an idea, but was not entirely sure, and did not want to act upon it. Would the Corporation simply kill Sora and take them back? Assert them as their _property_ and be done with it? Would Mother Namine be able to help? There were many questions, and Roxas found himself at an irritating loss to answer any of them.

Seconds became minutes, and minutes became yet another hour. The sun was higher in the sky, and the digital, red LED read-out on the dashboard displayed the time as 7:45. The blonde peered forward, the Compound was still not in sight, and he was somewhat glad for this.

Of all the places Roxas did not want to go, the Hearts Compound was very high on that list. It was where he had been imprisoned, the keepers constantly talking down to him, abusing him without reprieve, and neglecting many facets of life that other Subjects took for granted, such as privacy or conversation. But he knew going here was a necessity. If there was one person who could help them somehow, it would be Mother Namine. She had the resources, and the knowledge.

Sora stirred in the seat next to him, squinting his eyes, before opening them, his azure eyes gazing blearily out at Roxas, having yet to understand just where he was, and why he felt so sore. He blinked a few times, sitting up straight, and regained his sense of mind. "How long have you been driving?" Sora asked quietly after looking back to the still fast asleep Ventus.

Roxas looked to the clock, "a little over five hours." Sora frowned, and looked to the blonde.

"Do you want to take a break? I could drive the rest of the way there, and you could sleep." Sora suggested, looking out the windshield to the largely solitary road before them.

The blond shook his head, "I'll be fine, I've gone for sleep for much longer periods than this, Sora." Though this response only seemed to worry Sora more. The brunet peered at Roxas curiously, and spoke once more.

"Why's that? Did you just not like sleeping there? I know your time at there wasn't the best, but…" Sora trailed off, his gaze becoming one of concern. "… What did happen, when you lived there? You don't seem very eager to go back…"

Roxas sighed, sparing a glance to Sora. "… I'd rather not say, but, I'll be fine. Mother Namine will help us, that much I can assure you. She has always done her best to help me in the past."

Sora nodded thoughtfully, though didn't remove Roxas from his sight. "So, she's your mom, then?"

The road before them took a gentle curve, and Roxas followed it. "No, I wasn't born conventionally. I was born in an artificial womb. Mother Namine is the surrogate mother the Subjects are given, and her role in your life varies on your dependencies as a Subject. Normally, her task ends when you're about twelve or thirteen years old, as you've been adopted out, by that point."

"And you, Roxas?" Sora asked, he knew all too well that Roxas had never been adopted. Though such made no sense to the brunet. Who wouldn't want Roxas in their family? Roxas was genuine, intelligent, kind and polite. He was brave, strong-hearted and… A slight flush rose to Sora's face. God, was he really falling for Roxas? Of all the times for these kinds of feelings, Sora knew that now was not that time.

"I was never adopted." Roxas said simply. "I was deemed too intelligent and dextrous to be a Nobody, but I didn't talk at all to my keepers, and barely to the other Subjects."

"Why didn't you?" Sora inquired. "You seem to talk a fair bit with me."

Roxas nodded. "Yes, that's true. But the Keepers were so… boring, and unjust. They were always rude and impolite, and their conduct was entirely unprofessional. I barely saw other Subjects, as they thought if I did, they might harm me, or more to their worries, I'd harm them. So I was kept largely in solitude."

Sora frowned. It just didn't seem right, none of it. Roxas' treatment as a child, the world, none of it. It was all wrong. "That's wrong… You didn't deserve that, Roxas." Sora said simply, though the words sounded dumb to him.

But, to the blond's shock, the corners of Roxas' mouth turned up in a small, but genuine smile, and he glanced over to the brunet, the smile still there. "Thank you, Sora. I thought so, too. The only other who did was Mother Namine, but she was so busy with all the others she simply couldn't devote all her time to me."

Sora nodded thoughtfully, a smile growing on his own face as Roxas gave one to him. It was so rare to see Roxas smile, as he normally carried a bored look of indifference, but everytime Sora saw that smile, it was as if it was the first time all over again. It was genuine and sincere, and so… right. It was right for Roxas to smile, Sora decided. Roxas should be happy. "So, Roxas…" Roxas made a slight 'hm' sound, confirming he heard the brunet. "If everyone is so boring, why _do_ you talk to me? I can't imagine I'm incredibly different from the other Subjects."

Roxas shook his head, his blonde, spiked hair waving slightly. "Untrue. It's difficult to explain, Sora. How do I put it…" Roxas mused, the second ticked by in silence as Roxas gathered his thoughts into sentences. "I don't understand you, Sora. You're different, but not in a bad way. You're… unique. I find it… endearing. Yes, I believe that's the correct term for it." Roxas nodded to himself. "I like you, Sora." He summed it up simply.

Sora felt colour rush to his cheeks as the implications of what Roxas had just said. Like? Did that mean, like a crush? Or like a friend? Why did Sora care? He had never met anyone who remotely seemed to be like the former for him.

However, stirring from the back booths caused Sora to turn. Ventus slowly rose into a seated position, yawning wearily. "What time is it?" He blinked, yawning once more. Sora looked to the digital read out on the dash.

"7:30." Sora said simply, and eyed the older blond. His eyes were still quite bloodshot, and a saddened look still clung there. Ventus nodded, though he peered forward, eyes widening a little as he recognised the ten foot, pale white wall that became larger as time went by.

They had arrived at the Hearts Compound.

Roxas slowed the car to a stop as a Hearts Corporation guard held up his hand, stepping out from a small enclosed area in the wall. Roxas rolled down his window, and the man peered into the car. He appeared to be in his late thirties, and looked utterly bored beyond belief. "Business with the Hearts Corporation?"

"We're here to visit a few friends. I am Roxas, Generation Thirteen, ID number 17135244." Roxas stated emotionlessly.

The guard ran the information through the tablet in hand, and nodded. "Very well. Parking lot C. Welcome back." He said, once more with a bored tone.

Roxas did not respond, as the man had already walked away, and the gates began to recede into the walls before them. He pressed his foot lightly on the accelerator, and the three made their way into the Compound.

Upon entering the compound, the massive, gleaming, glass complex before them loomed grandly before them. A green courtyard sat between them and the main complex, many smaller versions farther off as the building's wings extended outwards. A large sign read 'Welcome! Bienvenue! Bienviendo! 歓迎! Willkommen!" And a few other languages, with a large map of the compound. The compound was encircled by a large wall, and towards the front of the compound was the main complexes, along with the various wings and other buildings. Finally, behind the complexes was a large green space, spanning acres of room for activities of all sorts.

Roxas continued to drive, and quickly found the C Parking Lot, and pulled up the parking break. He tossed the keys back to Ventus, who caught them swiftly. The three exited the vehicle, stretching afterward. The air was warm, though the humidity had yet to arrive, as it was still early morning.

Sora remained largely silent as they walked up to the main building. He kept close to Roxas, frequently looking over to the blond. Sora became increasingly worried that coming here was not the right decision, though he kept his worries to himself, deciding not to add to the likely heavy mental load both Roxas and Ventus had at the moment. Their shoes quietly sounded along the asphalt as they made their further and further. Roxas stood straight and tall, his strides measured and calm. Though, something seemed off about the blond… Was he nervous? Sora stepped closer to Roxas, though the blond didn't notice. Sora looked down for a moment, and with a quick grab, grasped Roxas' hand.

The blond blinked, looking down at his now held hand, and up to Sora, who simply avoided his glance. The blonde remained silent, but did not remove his hand from Sora's. Ventus' gaze flickered over for a moment, though he quickly averted it, memories of Vanitas flooding into his mind all too quickly.

The three, now before the glass doors of the compound, looked to each other. The inside was impossible to discern, as the sun blinded the view of the inside of the building. Sora relinquished Roxas' hand as he realised the blond intended to open the door, and likely could not do so with his hand stolen by Sora. Roxas took a deep breath, and pulled open the door, and stepped through, Sora and Ventus quickly following behind.

The lobby was a large and opulent room. The floors were marble, the walls were painted in a calm, beige, and rose high into the air, likely two or more stories above. From the ceiling hung an equally grand chandelier that glittered in the light of the new day. Before them, men and women in suits, skirts and all sorts of formal wear made their way back and forth from various counters and to the stairs at the far end. However, most interestingly, a younger figure at the far end seemed to be staring at the three. He wore a simple black suit with a white shirt and some sort of peculiar tie. Ventus peered at the man curiously, before his eyes widened, and he called out, "Demyx!" He hurried forth, Sora and Roxas trailing behind, a confused look on the former's face, while the latter remained impassive.

Demyx rushed forward, earning confused look from various businessmen and women who he charged by, before roughly embracing Ventus in a hug. "Ven! God, it's been _years_! How are you? Where's this famous Vanitas mom tells me so much about?"

Ventus blinked, but embraced the eccentric Demyx, "It has, hasn't it. Vanitas, he's… gone… I'll explain later." Demyx held the blond tighter, nodding into his shoulder.

"Okay, no rush, man." He let the blond go, who instantly looked away, memories flooding back all too quickly. Demyx stepped toward Roxas and Sora, a small look of awe overtaking his face as he regarded. "Roxas…?" He said tentatively.

Roxas quirked a brow, and nodded. "Yes, I'm Roxas. I don't believe we've met." He extended a hand, his tone still completely neutral. Demyx regarded him for a second before taking his hand in a shake.

"It's great to meet you, Roxas, you're a celebrity among these parts, you know! I'm Demyx, I work with mom." He let go of the blond's hand, and looked to Sora. "You must be a friend of Ventus'. I'm Demyx, Ven and I grew up together here."

Sora smiled, nodding, "I'm Sora, Roxas' roommate at college, and a friend of Ventus'."

Demyx nodded, "Well, then, let's be off to see mom!"

The four ascended four stories of stairs quickly, though all conversation had quickly died out, for Roxas was obviously uncomfortable being here, Ventus was lost in his memories, and both Sora and Demyx didn't want to intrude on either.

They wound their way down a central hallway, the walls having become a pale white, along with the tiles below. Demyx's shoes sounded off of the tiles loudly as they walked on without any words being exchanged, before finally, they reached a set of double doors, and on them was a plaque, which read 'Doctor Namine Din'Rathis.' Demyx knocked a few times, before opening the door and ushering the three in, silently taking a seat off to the side as Namine stood.

Sora regarded the woman with awe. She looked to be no more than her late thirties. Platinum blond hair fell down her back, and framed a slim face, with calm green eyes. She wore little makeup, as she did not need much, but her eyes were accented with eyeliner, and her lips with a light, natural tone. She wore a white dress that ended at her knees, along with a pair of heels, also white. Lastly, she wore a lab coat over her dress. She regarded the three of them for a long moment, before she spoke. To Sora, this woman before him epitomised the beauty of the fairer sex, and he found himself admiring the motherly gaze she gave them.

Her voice was calming and serene, like a benevolent angel descended from heaven. "Dearest children of mine… How I have missed you." She stepped around her desk, before Ventus took an unsteady step forward, and Namine opened her arms, smiling kindly. Ventus cleared the distance between the two of them with ease, and wrapped his arms around her, wresting his face in her shoulder, speaking hoarsely.

"Oh mother, they killed him! They killed Vanitas!" He held her tight, and her beautiful jade eyes were suddenly wide with shock, and she held him just as tightly. She held him for a long moment, without any words, simply holding the young man as he sobbed silently.

"My sweet little Ventus, my heart is broken for you, and for your love, Vanitas. He was truly an amazing man. His death will not be in vain, I assure you of that." She spoke gently, rubbing his back, her eyes closed as she spoke. Sora looked on with awe, the slim woman holding Ventus, a nearly grown man like a mother with a small child. She gave off an aura of maternal instincts, and even upon her desk sat a plate of cookies.

Demyx was seated to the side of them all, next to Namine's desk, his head bowed, eyes covered. His hands were balled into fists in his lap, and he trembled slightly. "Ventus, dear, take a seat with your brother, and have a cookie, you two have a lot to catch up on…" Ventus released her, and looked into her eyes, his own wet with tears. She smiled sadly, and with a narrow thumb, wiped them away with her thumb, and kissed his forehead lightly. "We'll always be here for you, Ven. So will your wonderful friends you have, here."

"Thank you, mother. And I know, they've been amazingly supportive. I am very grateful to them." He smiled a little, and took a seat next to Demyx, who had a cookie half in his mouth, before offering the plate to Ventus, inciting a little laugh from the grieving blond. The sight gave Sora a genuine, heartwarming feeling that, even with all that was becoming wrong with the world, the love of family, biological or otherwise, would always be present.

Namine, with the tap of her heels, slowly walked over to Sora and Roxas, her dress fluttering around her knees lightly. "Roxas, my brilliant boy…" She said softly, Roxas regarding her, his expression softening.

"Mother Namine… You look well." Roxas said quietly. She laughed lightly, and embraced Roxas, the blond jumping a bit, but slowly embracing her back.

She smiled as she held him if he were no more than a little boy. "My little Roxas, how you've grown! I wish you had come on better conditions. I wish that with all my heart, my boy." She let him go, and looked to Sora. "You must be Sora." She said in that same motherly tone. "My name is Namine Din'Rathis, but you can call me whatever you wish." Sora nodded, but remained quiet as she beckoned them forward. She stepped behind her desk, and looked to Ventus and Demyx, before speaking once more. "My dear children – including you, Sora. I know why you've come, and I will do whatever I can to help. Much as I wish I could keep you here and keep you safe myself, I know that there are those here who have never cared for Subjects. But there are some things you should know. You deserve to know the truth of _why_ this is all happening."

Namine pressed a few keys on the keyboard before her computer screen, and a much larger screen descended from the ceiling with a quiet hum or a motor, before finally the screen flickered on. A picture of President Xemnas appeared. "This is the current President of the Pacific Union, President Xemnas. He killed the former President, the late President Ansem, to secure his position. Xemnas is also the CEO of Hearts Corporation – it's how he's garnered so much influence in the world; the man is very wealthy. Xemnas and I began the Hearts Corporation venture in an endeavour to help people. We started out in the medical field, reversing Alzheimer's Disease, elongating the quality of young life and the like. But then, in the process, we decided to tinker with an artificial womb; a means for women who could not bear children to still have them. It was a resounding success, and before we realised it, infertile and same sex couples across the globe were calling us at all hours of the day, begging for them to use it, so they could have children for their own."

"It was all so beautiful, back then. Xemnas and I were so hopeful. We could help give loving parents the ability to _have_ children! The venture expanded, and the Hearts Corporation was born. We began to artificially give birth to these children and raise them ourselves. But there was always resentment against us. Some called us inhumane, that we were playing God. But what was so wrong with what we were doing? The children, back then, were born into a loving parental system, where they were given to a caretaker, who took care of multiple children, and were educated, and brought up like any children. The only difference was, they were all only children, as it were." Namine paused, clicking her mouse, the picture changing to that of a burning building, flames spewing out of its ruined, concrete structure.

"But the protestors became violent, and somehow got access into the nursery." She looked away, holding a hand to her mouth, breathing out a breath. "They killed off an entire generation of children, still in the wombs. I was distraught, these children, these innocent babies had harmed no one, and to me, they were like the children I never had. And they were killed." She breathed in deeply, standing up straighter. "I've never told anyone what I'm about tell you four. I learned from my sources, that the instigator of the protestors who burned down the nursery wasn't some right-wing wack-job from the former United States or something cliché… It was Xemnas. He had intended to burn down the building with me inside… He wanted full control of the company. I don't know why, but I've never told him the truth." Namine looked to continue, but Roxas spoke up, his vice steeled.

"If this is the truth, then Xemnas must be stopped. The man is abominable, slaying unborn children in a bid to try to gain control of Hearts Corporation. We must stop him." Roxas spoke with fire in his heart, his brows knit in anger. Such mindless hatred was beyond the blond, and evidently the others, as Ventus and Demyx stood, and Sora nodded to Roxas.

"I agree wholeheartedly, Roxas. I promised I wouldn't leave your side, and I certainly won't, now. We've got nowhere to go, with Xemnas leading the Union. We'll stop him. Together." Sora spoke firmly, grabbing Roxas' pale hand once more, with his own tanned, warm hand, holding it before them.

Ventus was the next to speak, "Xemnas had not only Vanitas killed, but a slew of unborn brothers and sisters to us? He must be stopped, mother!" Demyx nodded in agreement.

"Mother, I must go with them. For my fallen brothers and sisters." Demyx spoke sternly. "You know the connections I have."

Namine looked to the four, smiling broadly, before she wiped a tear away. "You all make me so proud, but I could never send my babies off to stop Xemnas, it'd be a suicide mission… Xemnas wants to get rid of all Subjects, he sees them as a threat to his rule."

Roxas shook his head, "Mother Namine, we are not little children anymore. We are those who Xemnas would have killed. For what? So no one can question his authority? We need to do this."

Namine relented, sighing. "My dear children… I cannot stop you, I see. I will help you all I can."

_Roxas and Sora's futures have taken a drastic and dangerous turn. Tasked with the duty of ridding the world of Xemnas and his evil is no small task. Will they be able to do it? What challenges will they face?_

_Next chapter, Roxas, Sora, Ventus and Demyx set off to meet their first ally, who will help them overthrow the increasingly tyrannical Xemnas government. But will this operative want to help at all? Stay tuned for Chapter Seven._


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter seven has come at last. When we left off, lofty plans were set forth for our brilliant Roxas and heartfelt Sora. However, the greatest adventure begins with but a step, and so these two must take their first step on a journey to ridding the world of the intolerance and hatred that Xemnas has wrought._

_Details of the ever raging war are revealed, and the sad truth of Roxas' reasoning is revealed. But what difficulties shall they face? What must they lose to gain the ideal world, and who will deal out this sad toll?_

* * *

Sora sat before Roxas, a small, glass table separating the two. Sora was hunched over, his brow knitted as he stared at the table before them. His chair had a low back, and was smooth and curved. Ivory and cream colours adorned the seat, which was mirrored by Roxas' seat. Upon the square glass table between the two sat a chess board, various pieces adorning the board. Sora's lower back ached, and his backside was sore from the uncomfortable seat, but he remained silent. He was facing _Roxas_ in chess, in a battle of wits. Roxas! Of all people. And Sora was losing, and losing badly.

Conversely, the equally silent blond looked oddly relaxed in his chair. A slender leg was folded over the others, his black slacks holding close to his strong legs. His elbows wrested on the armrests of his seat, and his hands were loosely folded before him. His azure gaze peered at the chessboard, occasionally flickering up to the brunet before him. As if on cue, Roxas looks up, Sora's gaze following, the two almost twin pairs of blue eyes meeting. Roxas smiled a little, for evidently the blond saw how uncomfortable the brunet was, but the gesture only made Sora more uncomfortable.

Sora grumbled, and he moved his bishop forward. Roxas quirked a golden brow, and Sora smiled thusly. "Roxas, the heart of the people must move with them, or they will never win." Roxas unfolded his hands, his slender left hand, digits extended, hovering over his pieces.

"Beautifully said, Sora. But I say that the heart needs a more powerful figure than their beliefs to lead the cause." His hand drifted back to the king, of all pieces, and he gripped the elegant, thin chess piece with three fingers, and launched the king into battle, now straight in front of Sora's bishop. "It's all in good fun, yes? You make for a very unique opponent, Sora."

Sora blinked, raising his brows slightly. He regarded Roxas once more, his eyes drifting down the blond's person. His hair was raised and put off to the side in his signature style, something he had learned from Sora himself. He wore a tight fitting white dress shirt, and black dress pants to match. Sora could not deny, Roxas looked _very_ good. His slender frame was fitted so perfectly, and he simply looked so… pristine. Like a figurine that had never been marred by the touch of another. Was that was Sora was trying to do? Would he harm this beautiful figure with his touch? Did Roxas want what he wanted?

There were too many questions for Sora, for any mortal man, and he forced them out of his mind, focusing once more on the game at hand. Roxas had been brazen and moved in his king, stopping his bishop's attempt to check the blond's king. He looked up to Roxas, his own lake blue eyes glittering. Roxas, his closest of friends, his confidant, but there was so much that not even the blond knew of him. Things that Sora was not ashamed of, but afraid of. What did he feel for the blond before him? This was not the time for these feelings, but at the same time, Roxas' very company gave Sora a warm feeling in his heart, and sent butterflies aflutter in his stomach. "Roxas…" He smiled as the blond gave him an inquisitive look. "You truly are amazing, you know that?" He placed his fingers on his bishop, and withdrew the piece. "I concede to your move; that was well played, my friend."

Roxas smirked a little. "You're giving me too much credit, Sora. I played chess quite a bet when I was little. Granted, this is the first time I've ever played against a real person. When I lived here, before, I only ever played against a computer. The Keepers said it was good for me, that I might become _normal_ if I developed my cognitive abilities further." His smirk quickly faded as he spoke, his gaze growing distant as he recalled days past.

The brunet frowned at the words, and he spoke, "Roxas, why is it that, well… Namine seems like such an amazing woman, but how could she let all those horrible things happen to you? Neglected for years, abused by the Keepers. It doesn't make any sense to me…" Sora trailed off, the question having struck a chord with Roxas as he looked down to the chess board, and he began to fiddle with a pawn.

"I've often wondered that myself. Mother Namine always seemed very supportive, but whenever I spoke to her of the things that happened, she told me that she would have them start treating me better, but they never did. I don't have an answer for you, Sora. I'm sorry." Roxas responded, sighing. "And now, I'm to be a pawn in a war to save myself, and all those like me."

Sora leaned forward, his brows knit in concern; he pressed a hand on Roxas', curling his fingers around the paler palm of the blond, and holding him assuringly. "If you don't want to fight, you don't have to. No one would judge you, if you didn't want to."

Roxas peered down at his encompassed hand curiously, before lightly curling his fingers around the digits which encircled his palm. "It's not that I _don't_ want to fight, it's that I… It's hard to explain… I am sad that it has come to this. You were watching the news with us, you know that Xemnas is sending the Pacific Union's army to this island to secure this facility. I have no choice to fight. There are children here, and elderly, too. I am able, I must help them. If we can save these people peacefully, then that's all the better. But…" The blond sighed, shaking his golden haired head.

"But we're completely without allies. The member nation of Canada was completely dominated when their representative voice concerns a week ago. They were the only ones who were supporting Subject rights, and now they're gone. We're up the creek and without a paddle, for sure." Sora completed the thought, his grip on Roxas' hand tightening for a moment. "But that doesn't mean we don't have hope. We might be able to settle this peacefully."

Roxas nodded, "Yeah. You're right. But Sora?" The blond looked up, hesitation in his eyes. The brunet found the look to be entirely foreign to the blond's slim features, and it concerned him a little. What would worry Roxas so much that it showed on his face?

"Yeah, Roxas?" The brunet spoke quietly, still not releasing the blond's hand. The blond's eyes drifted down to the chess board below their intertwined hands, then back up to the brunet's eyes.

"I sincerely hope you're never my enemy." The few words he uttered shocked Sora. The ramifications of them sent shockwaves all through the brunet's heart, and he found himself smiling broadly, his hand squeezing the other's for a long moment.

"I'll always be by your side."

* * *

_There was darkness. Darkness all around. Roxas saw nothing but an inky blackness. It pressed in and threatened to suffocate him. His body was cold, his mind sluggish. Where was he? This place made no sense._

_He turned, his body slowly reacting to his movements as he sluggishly turned through the ever present nothingness than surrounded him. His eyes cast to, what to him, felt like what down was. He peered into the empty darkness below. Then the whispers began._

_Monstrosity._

_Crime against nature._

_Freak._

_Sin._

_Nobody._

_Roxas shook his head, he remained silent. He knew it was not true. He was not monster, he was human! He had done no harm to anyone, not even to those he thought would deserve it. But the darkness disagreed, and redoubled its efforts and pressed down on him. His chest became tight, his breathing now restricted. His head throbbed as blood rushed to his brain, and his eyes began to blur._

_From the darkness, cold, wet things drifted against his exposed skin, leaving a revolted feeling in their wake. They traveled up and down his form, though his blurry sight could not discern what they were, for he saw nothing. They befouled him, violating his dignity, his self. He cried out in anger, trying to wrest his limbs free from the foul feelings that these aberrations brought with them. However, the second his mouth opened, the darkness spilled in, choking him. It filled his throat, the sickening taste of rotting flesh overcoming him._

_The darkness dissipated, and so did the choking horror. He now stood in what he aptly considered a warzone. But the combatants were not those of standard warfare. Children lay all around, their once pristine white clothing now covered in blood and dirt. Their eyes stared up, transfixed in horror as the hand of death silenced their screams. _

_Roxas recognised these children by their clothes, they were Subjects. He found himself turning, his movements not of his own volition. Before him now was the Hearts Corporation main complex. Once a shining marvel of engineering, it was now smoldering from various levels, thick, orange and crimson flames licking out shattered window. Subjects too were decorating macabre parapets that had been mounted, their sightless eyes also staring out in abject horror._

_The sight sickened Roxas, and he found himself looking down to his own hands. They were covered in blood, and so was he. A semiautomatic firearm hung from his shoulder, and he looked to it. The barrel was warm; it had recently been fired. Were the innocents around him, their deaths, was this his doing? _

_No, Roxas thought to himself sternly. He would never do such a thing, it was unthinkable, and it was vile. He turned once more, his body his own to control, though an all too familiar sense of dread overwhelmed him as a figure approached._

_The man before him had long silver hair, swept backward off his face. His jaw was pointed, and eyebrows slanted downward, giving him a decidedly displeased visage. The man wore a ground length trench-coat, which was drawn tightly around his midsection, two sets of six buttons adorning the chest, along with various medals and the like. _

_It was Xemnas. The enemy of the Subjects. Of all those who would wish for peace, for freedom. Xemnas. The man smirked as he drew closer to Roxas. "Ah, Roxas." His voice was as cold as it was on television. "So good to see you… It has been so long, my little malformation. I see you've done my dirty work for you. You really are nothing more than a pawn, you know?"_

_Roxas practically growled, his hatred for the man growing all the more. He hefted the gun that hung from his shoulder, and pointed it at Xemnas. "I am no such thing! And this is not my doing! You are Xemnas, are you not? If so, you are my enemy, and you must die! For the Subjects, and for the freedom of all those you've persecuted!" His voice was broad, full of anguish for the fallen and righteous vengeance crying out to be carried out._

"_No Roxas, I am not wrong." Xemnas said coolly, raising his head, looking down at the blond with a condescending leer. "Why, you are and your misbegotten freaks are my puppets. My ultimate weapon. Namine, the fool, did not understand in time, and now she has paid with her life. But… there is another you must do away with for me." Xemnas stepped to the side, revealing a horrified Sora. _

_Sora's eyes were bloodshot, his hair matted with mud and grime, clothes covered in blood. "Roxas… how could you do this? What have you done?!" His words were anguished, Sora's heart shattering as he looked upon Roxas._

_The blond shook his head, "I didn't do anything of this, Sora! Why would I? It makes no sense!" Roxas' hands trembled on the weapon on hand as he trained it on Xemnas. One shot. One shot and he could end it all._

"_Roxas! Enough of this. Finish this boy." Xemnas waved a dismissive hand, and Roxas found his body once more no longer in his control. But he fought. He fought with all his willpower to keep the gun trained where it was. His hands shaked, the metallic object in his hands clattering as he fought against an unseen force, as though a great giant was pulling his arms to turn the weapon._

"_What is this…?! I won't…!" Roxas bit down on his lip, his legs aching, back hunched as he fought fiercely against his own body as it worked against his body. "N-no!" He shouted as he felt himself begin to lose._

_The weapon slowly and shakily turned to Sora, the brunet's eyes widening with horror. "Roxas… first Namine, now me? How could you!?"Roxas felt his finger begin to depress the trigger, but he fought it vigorously._

"_No! This isn't me! Sora! You have to believe me!" Roxas shouted as memories rushed back, breaking his focus of stopping himself from firing. His eyes, the dead stare looking on as he mowed down Subjects. Children ran from him, though to no avail. Their backs were sprayed with a wave of bullets, they flailed, before falling to the ground, stilled by death. Namine came next, grabbing Roxas by the shoulders, tears streaming down her beautiful face, begging him to stop. But Roxas did not care, he depressed the trigger, and Namine fell before him, he hair flipping in the wind as she fell…_

"_Roxas… why…"_

_The memories broke, and Roxas saw Sora crumple forward. He shot Sora!? No, it was impossible! His body became his own once more, and he rushed toward Sora as he fell, catching him in his arms. Blood oozed from Sora's midsection and fell through Roxas' fingers. "Sora!" He cried out, turning the brunet's face to see his own. Tears welled from Roxas' eyes as he looked down on the brunet, whose gaze was murky at best. "Sora, please… I… I…!" His voice broke as tears fell onto the brunet._

"_How… strange… you cry for me… but you're not…" He trailed off, his eyes glazing over, and his chest fell still._

"Sora!" Roxas shouted as he jolted up in bed. Sweat had stuck his hair to his forehead, and his clothes were damp with it, the cold fabrics clinging to him and his bed. His breath was coming out in gasps as his chest heaved up and down.

The room around him was dim and all too silent. Against Sora's wishes, Roxas had taken a single person room, fearing that increased intimacy with the brunet would only bring out undesirable traits in himself that would compromise his friendship with Sora. But all he wanted right now was… Sora.

He tapped the square lamp next to his bed roughly, and the fixture woke to life with a soft, yellow glow. Roxas threw his sweat dampened sheets off himself, and stood on shaky feet. He looked around the small room, the window next to the bed catching his attention. The blond ran a hand through his sweat stained hair, and looked out the glass at the ocean before him. It sloshed forward, crashing forward onto the beach, before retreating backward, and repeating the process once more with a lulling repetitive regularity.

Roxas turned sharply on his bare heel and marched to the door, pulling the thing open with a jerky swing. The doorstop halted its motion as the wooden door flew backward, and nocked it backward. He left his room quickly, bare feet padding on the linoleum floors as he made his way down the hall. There was only one thought in the blond's head, one idea; Sora. He needed Sora. He needed to prove to Sora that he wasn't a monster… but moreover, he needed Sora to accept him as not a monster, to reaffirm to him that it was just a dream, a horrid nightmare with no value…

But still… it felt so very real.

* * *

Sora was fast asleep when the knocking at his door caused him to twist in his bed and force his eyes open. He moaned into his pillow, his back aching from the bed. He pushed himself to a stand, and walked to the door, still unsure if he _actually_ heard knocking. However, ignoring his thoughts, he opened the door to find, of all people, Roxas, standing before him.

Though the blond did not look like himself. His normally raised hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat. His night clothes, consisting of a pair of light sweatpants and a small, white t-shirt clung to him awkwardly, and held sweat stains as well. Though what worried Sora the most was Roxas' eyes. They were bloodshot, as if he had been crying. The sapphire orbs that stared into his very soul seemed to wracked with horror and pain, and Sora's heart reached out to the blond. What could rattle the indomitable Roxas so greatly? What could make him so horrified?

"Roxas… Is everything alright?" Sora spoke quietly, his throat dry from sleep. Though the blond shook his head, his shoulders hunched tightly. "Come in…" He said, ushering the blond in and closing the door quietly, as to not wake those who slept nearby. Roxas stood silently in the centre of the room, his back to Sora.

"Sora… I'm human… right?" Roxas spoke slowly, turning, his eyes now distinctly tired and listless. Sora furrowed his brows and stepped closer.

"Of course you are, Roxas. Who would ever make you doubt that?" Sora said, looking to Roxas closely. Sora moved forward, his movements seeming impulsive and jerky as he pulled Roxas close and pressed his lips against the brunet's. Roxas' eyes practically bulged from shock before he relented and held Sora closely, and kissed back. To his surprise, he found Roxas' kiss to be gentle and careful, though Sora instantly wanted more.

Sora's tongue reached forward licking tentatively at Roxas' mouth, which elicited a light moan from the blond who opened his mouth. The brunet's hands tugged at Roxas' shirt, lifting it off his slender figure and with a _pop_ of separated lips, he removed the sweat stained garment, and removed his own shortly thereafter. The brunet's eyes drifted up and down Roxas. He admired every muscle, the smooth skin, the perfect shoulders and beautiful chest. Sora pulled Roxas' close and kissed him once more, the heat of their chests rubbing at one another's.

The two retired to Sora's bed, and continued on, Roxas' slender hand drifting down the brunet's chest, resting at the waistband of his boxer-briefs. Sora flushed deeply, and nodded, the blond looking somewhat nervous, before removing the garment.

* * *

_And that is where I shall leave chapter seven. Roxas has reciprocated Sora's long held feelings, but is it truly what Roxas desires? Can he even know what it is he wants?_

_This calm before the storm ends soon, and with it comes Xemnas' forces to the island. Will the Subjects be able to barter off a peaceful negotiation? Or will war ensue and bring the hellish future Roxas has dreamt of. _

_Stay tuned for chapter eight!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter eight. Oh man, we're getting up there! I annoyingly left you off with a naughty scene, but what are the repercussions of Roxas and Sora's actions? How will they both react to it? _

_Of note, closer to the end of the chapter, there's a fair amount of POV switching, so apologies in advance. Also, this chapter makes The Value of His Heart my longest story I've ever written!_

_More importantly, the world is on the move, and Namine reminds the two of them that they have a job to do. Their brief repose is over._

* * *

Roxas woke early that morning. The sun peaked over the endless ocean outside their window, and the blond, being ever used to waking early, was roused by its light. Roxas opened his eyes, looking downward. Sora was cuddled into his side, his arm slung protectively around the blond. Roxas frowned, this was not good. They had a mission to complete, and these types of feelings would only compromise things. Surely, there was a better way.

However, Roxas could not help but find the experience of being so close with Sora as a pleasant thought. Moreover, he found he enjoyed the brunet's company all the more when the thoughts of what had occurred the night before. Roxas had come to Sora, his mind in shambles, seeking the brunet's unfaltering comfort, which Sora had gladly given. The two had shared something very close and personal, and Roxas felt a great deal of hesitation upon leaving the brunet. However, he assured himself that Sora would understand why Roxas had left so early in the morning, and so he carefully removed the brunet's arm from his bare chest and slipped out of the narrow bed.

As exhilarating as the night had been, Roxas found his person sore and stiff from sleeping in a twin bed with another fully grown male. They would have to return to separate rooms if they were to stay at the Hearts Compound for any longer. Roxas pulled his night shirt and pants back on, procuring them from where Sora had thrown them in a fit of lust and wanting for the blond the night before. To Roxas' surprise, he had found the brunet to be very eager and willing to accommodate the foreign feelings Roxas had for Sora. However initially awkward and untested they were, the two quickly found a rhythm that pleased them both.

Roxas shook the thoughts out of his head, his feelings for Sora could be analysed in greater detail when he had a silent repose that was not fraught with nightmares of such peculiar and prophetic sorts. He walked silently over to the door, but paused, looking back at the fast asleep Sora. He turned on his heel, and moved to his bedside, and leaned down, placing a fleeting kiss on the brunet's forehead, before returning to the door, and opening it and leaving. As he left, Roxas watched on to Sora, and he could have sworn he saw a small smile on the brunet's sleeping face.

The blond found the bright, stale hallway he found himself in now rather painful on his eyes, which were accustomed to the lack of lighting in Sora's room. He squinted, and made his way toward his own room, to change for the day. What was it he felt for Roxas? He had never been so intimate with someone before, had never enjoyed the touch of another so fervently, and wished just as dearly to return those touches. Sora had changed something in Roxas, the blond knew this. He found himself slowly realising emotions that he had long since buried as a boy.

Turning toward the door toward his humble room, Roxas opened the door and looked to his empty bed. The sheets were a mess, and clearly explained the poor sleep had had before he visited Sora that night. He pressed his fingers on the wall to his right, passing over a small glass panel, activating the lights, and illuminated the room in bright, white lighting. Roxas made his way to the bed, and methodically pulled the fitted sheet back into a smooth, orderly place. He followed this by tucking in the sheets above in, and fluffed the pillow. The rustling of fabrics was all that he heard as he remade his bed. Better to not have anyone know of his nightmare and have them bother him about it. How needlessly laborious it would be, to have some Keeper bother him about his sleep habits after he had been freed from this wretched place.

Roxas turned back toward the entrance, though deviated from the path and entered the small washroom adjacent to the bedroom. He passed his fingers over another, slightly larger, glass panel, and both the lights and fan came into action. The little room was illuminated brightly, showcasing the unassuming shower to his left, toilet before him, and sink to his right. The blond turned to the sink, and eyed the counter around it. In an orderly pattern laid his automatic shaver, deodorant, and other various instruments for his health.

Beginning with the shaver, Roxas flicked it on, the mechanical instrument coming to life with a calm hum that he drew across his face, his mind drifting back to Sora. What _did_ he feel for the brunet? He understood that people fell in love, but what _is_ love? How does one identify it? Are there measurable differences in his own brain chemistry that could be measured when he was within a predetermined distance of Sora? The blond gave a thoughtful hum to himself, he would have to try such with various so called _couples_ when he had the time. The blond picked up his toothbrush, flicking a switch and turning it on as it entered his mouth.

Love, as he understood it, was a binding contract of sorts between two people that obligated them to be sexually intimate with none other than each other. There was also an integral mental-psychological level that was part of this social contract which allowed the two to share very personal details. This caused Roxas to frown. What _did_ he know about Sora? He would have to inquire when they met next, in order to validate any such irregularities in the love paradigm, should the brunet be willing to go forth with it.

The blond, having shaved and brushed his teeth, removed his night clothes and showered. Stepping into the shower stall, the cold, plastic floor bit at his feet, and so did the icy water that assaulting his fit body as he showered. However, he ignored it, having grown accustomed to such cold showers when he lived at the Hearts Compound. Turning the shower off, he exited and dried his hair, before styling it as Sora had shown him shortly after they had met. He slipped on a pair of blue chinos, and a tight white t-shirt, a black and white checkered shirt, and a pair of converse, and made his way to the dining hall.

* * *

Namine sat in the relatively empty dining hall. As one entered through the main doors, they would see a large wall of windows to their right, the various serving stations for food on the left, and tables between. She sat next to the window at a four person table, wearing a white dress that ended slightly above her knees, along with a white labcoat over it, and a pair of white three inch heels. She fiddled with a strand of blond hair as she waited for Sora and Roxas, looking over a report before her, which read on its cover:

_Codename: Red_

She opened the report, skimming over this _Red_'s use for the mission at hand. Roxas and Sora could use all the help they would need with this mission, but not just anyone would do for the task at hand. However, this _Red_ appeared promising. On the northern coast of the island was a town named Hollow Bastion, where a resistance group called the _Red Dawn_ repelled the relentless onslaught of Union soldiers who were trying to take the town as a beachhead into the island. Though their leader was a brilliant tactician, and had been named _Red_ by the Union. This _Red_ was outnumbered fifty to one on a daily basis, but using the geography of the town and surrounding land, was able to beat back Xemnas' forces time and time again.

The only problem in this plan was recruiting _Red_ to their cause. _Red_ had his own resistance force that was waging a fierce war against the Pacific Union and winning, no less. Though his victories had never been recorded by Union reporters, as any stories that would give cause the Pacific Union citizenry to question the might of the state would not be televised. However, should they be able to recruit _Red_, they would have a substantial amount of experienced soldiers to defend the island at large.

Namine allowed herself a small smile as Roxas approached the table, and spoke as he sat. "Xemnas may have planned to use the Subjects as his own military force to take over the Pacific Union, but with how armed this complex is, he's given us a powerful weapon. Resistance groups will flock to us for support, once we make our debut public." She handed him the report, and he began speedily reading the file. She looked on the blond with admiration. How her little Roxas had grown! "Dearest child of mine, how did you sleep?"

Roxas looked up, his gaze neutral and calculating all the same. "My sleep was disturbed by an odd dream, however I was able to correct such and return to sleep, with the aid of Sora." Namine nodded at his words. She had been informed by security that Roxas had gone to Sora's room, however, after certain circumstances, the shift manager had turned off the camera in Sora's room as the two became intimate. Xemnas may had made her a powerless figurehead before, but with him too busy waging a war against his now too dangerous weapon, he no longer had power over her. "Tell me, Mother, do you believe this _Red_ will aid us? This report explains him to be of a dangerous temper and very volatile." Roxas continued, looking back up to Namine.

She nodded thoughtfully once more, "Yes, I do, Roxas. He will support our cause, and his _dangerous temper_ will be turned on our enemies. My only worry is that he knows when to show mercy. His current resistance group gives no mercy because they have no option. Though I do not know if this will be the case for your mission." She looked over his shoulder as Sora approached from behind. The brunet wore a pair of blue jeans and a red sweatshirt. He took a seat next to Roxas, giving the blond a quick smile, before taking the report as it was offered to him by the aforementioned blond.

Sora read it over, and looked up to the two. "You two think we can trust this _Red_? He sounds dangerous." Namine smiled a little. She was so very glad that Roxas had met Sora. Sora was an honest young man, who had such a strong heart, that could endure the greatest of hardships.

"I do, Sora. I believe that his dangerous nature, as you've put it, will be turned against those who would slaughter Roxas and his family." Namine explained, emphasising Roxas' family, which caused a golden brow to quirk from the blond male. Roxas never got to experience it, as he was put in the Nobody category, but most Subjects saw their fellow Subjects as extended family; people to be counted on in times of need. Though the Xemnas funded Nobody program isolated children outside of Namine's authority. "You two will be flown to Hollow Bastion to meet with the _Red Dawn_ and their leader, Codename _Red_. Demyx will accompany you and act as your coordinator on the field. You'll be armed, but if you can prove you're not a Union spy, I doubt you'll have need for your weapons." Namine explained to the two as they were served breakfast. "You'll be going without Ventus, as I don't think he's exactly in the mental state for a mission at this point."

* * *

Sora looked down at himself. He wore the same clothes as he did before, though outfitted with a skin tight body armour under his normal garments. Namine had explained that it was something Xemnas had worked on in his spare time. The body armour was heat resistant, and over vital areas, was bullet proof. However, Sora found it terribly uncomfortable, and the fact that there was a gun in a holster on his side made him all the more worried.

How far had his life changed? Six months ago, he was living with his parents, with his biggest worry being getting good enough grades to go to Hearts University. Now? He was preparing to meet a Resistance Group to help in a plan to overthrow Xemnas and his hate-filled dictatorship. Why did he do it? The answer was obvious. It was standing to his right, talking to Demyx. It was Roxas. He meant the world to Sora, and the brunet would do whatever he had to in order to make a world where they could live peacefully and happily. He breathed out a steeled breath. Yes, he would do whatever he had to. For Roxas.

Namine, Demyx, Roxas and Sora stood in a hangar, outside of the main complex. A helicopter sat silently before them and Demyx explained the route they planned to take. "We'll fly up the eastern coast of the island to avoid detection by the Pacific Union forces, and land five kilometers from the edge of Hollow Bastion. From there, we'll move into Hollow Bastion and make our way to the Town Hall. It's there that Codename _Red_ is reported to have his headquarters. Our mission is to get him to join us as a larger resistance group to remove the Xemnas menace from the world. We good to go, mom?" Demyx canted his head to the radiant Namine, who stood off to the side.

Namine shook her blond head side to side, he curls flipping slightly. "No. Best of luck, you three. If you need to pull out, do so. Don't risk your lives for anything, it's not worth it." She said kindly. "Good luck." With that, Demyx nodded, offering a smile back to Mother Namine and making his way to the helicopter, climbing into the pilot's seat. Roxas followed after, taking a seat in the second row of bench seating, and Sora followed. The two sat in the centre of the bench to keep the weight balanced and buckled themselves in with the four point harnesses.

Demyx grinned at the two of them, "Roxas, Sora, you might want to put your headphones on, it's about to get noisy." Sora blinked, looking to Roxas, though the blond shrugged and slipped the heavy duty headphones over his ears, lowering the mic boom to his mouth. Sora followed suit, procuring the obtrusive means of ear protection from above his seat. The handgun in its holster sat awkwardly between his chest and arm, and he fidgeted irritably. Roxas looked over, a golden brow quirked at him.

However, Sora's attention was distracted as the engine of the helicopter roared into life, the blades above them spinning faster and faster. Higher up, Sora could hear the humming of some sort of large motorised engine, different from the sound of the helicopter. He nodded to himself. Of course! The roof had opened so they could take off quicker.

Sora looked back to Sora, a small smile coming to his lips. He could tell Roxas was thinking deeply. The blond's brows were knit, and his eyes cast into the empty seat before him. Sora placed his hand on Roxas' knee, causing him to jump in surprise, and although he didn't look over, the corner of his mouth turned upward ever so slightly.

* * *

Ventus sat on the side of his unmade bed. Sleep had not come to him quickly, and when it had, his dreams were haunted with Vanitas' spectre. His heart ached endlessly, for Ventus simply had not been prepared for the sudden loss of his beloved. He sat there, his eyes downcast on his phone in his hand as he went through his picture gallery.

The photo he looked on now was Vanitas unpacking his belongings when they moved into their dorm, back at Hearts University. Vanitas was giving Ventus a sour looking face, and when Ventus thought on it, he recalled Vanitas declaring that he _did not want a picture of his ass in the air as he looked for hand soap_. Ventus smiled sadly, running a finger down the screen. His heart missed Vanitas. His arms missed him, his lips missed him, his legs missed him, every part of Ventus longed for Vanitas. Though, as Ventus knew all too well, Vanitas was gone. He had been shot and killed, then hauled off by the army.

Ventus flipped to the next picture, now seeing Vanitas picking his nose on the plane trip to the island. Vanitas was glaring at Ventus, but a grin was across his face as he failed to remove his hand from near his nose. A rather displeased elderly woman sat in the window seat, leering at them both. Ventus chuckled a bit, remembering how much Vanitas adored tormenting the stodgy old woman by kissing Ventus to make her uncomfortable. If not for him, Vanitas would have likely had him in his lap, just to spite an old lady. But that was Vanitas, spiteful and jealous, but there was a side only he got to see. Ventus remembered the times late at night, when they would lay in bed, Vanitas holding him. They would lay there in silence, no words needing to be shared.

Ventus frowned, the screen of his phone was blurry. Though after a moment he realised the cause. Tears fell from his eyes as he remained hunched over. How he missed Vanitas, he had to do something, to avenge the raven haired love of his life. But what? Mother Namine wouldn't let him go with Sora, Roxas and Demyx to Hollow Bastion because she thought he wasn't in the right frame of mind for the job.

Ventus wiped at his eyes, and stood shakily. If Namine wouldn't help him, he'd have to take matters into his own hands.

For Vanitas.

* * *

Roxas, Sora and Demyx had been flying for roughly an hour at this point. Demyx shifted in his seat, his hand on the control stick before him, angling the craft lower to the ground as Hollow Bastion came into sight. Great clouds of black smoke rose from the town, and smeared the once beautiful visage of Hollow Bastion. Off the coast was an aircraft carrier, from which various crafts took off periodically, raining bombs down on the village. As such, much of Hollow Bastion was in ruins. Though the details of the city remained largely obscured by smoke, Demyx could tell that most governmental buildings were destroyed, along with outlying factories and the like. Xemnas' forces had been ruthlessly tactical with how they attacked, and had paralysed the functionality of the city as they attacked.

Demyx pressed a finger to his headset, and spoke. "Looks like the town's in worse shape than when thought, guys. If things get too heavy, call in for an emergency evac and I'll get you out of there. I'll drop you off just by this destroyed factory on the side of town. Take the road adjacent into town, but avoid open areas. Keep to buildings and make your way to Town Hall. Ask for _Red_. I'll have the chopper in the air to keep you posted of any movements in front of you."

Roxas was the first to respond. "Understood. And if the Red Dawn attack?" It was a valid question, one which, by the looks of it, Sora also wished an answer for, upon looking to the back booth. Demyx couldn't help but notice that Sora had placed a hand on the enigmatic Roxas' knee, and the blond seemed to not even be remotely bothered by it. It reminded him of Ventus and Vanitas, how abrasive Vanitas seemed, but Ventus completely calmed him down with little to no effort. Though, those days were gone. Demyx looked forward once more. How was Ventus holding up? Not well, he imagined. The grief he must be experiencing – "Demyx?" Sora spoke through the communicator, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, got nostalgic. Don't kill them, obviously, but do you what you gotta do." Demyx responded quickly, pulling the nose of the craft up as he landed the helicopter. "Good luck, you two. If any Pacific Union soldiers ask, you're fleeing the Red Dawn." The two nodded in response, and exited the helicopter, ducking low.

* * *

Sora and Roxas stepped out onto the beaten, yellowed grass, ducking low as they exited the helicopter. Before them was the saddened husk of a factory. Its great chimneys, once standing tall and proud were now gone, the roof caved in, and the wall before them eradicated by a great explosion. The remains of a smokestack crumbled outward to their left, and the smell of acrid chemicals filled the air. Sora wrinkled his nose, and his stomach knotted. Though it did not knot from the foul smelling air, it knotted from the worry that the situation wrought. He was walking into a warzone to talk to an incredibly dangerous person, to help them get rid of Xemnas. It was all still quite a lot to take in, and Sora realised that it would take some time before he could accept the gravity of his situation.

Heedless to his worries, Roxas moved forward, skirting past the ruined building with quick steps, and Sora quickly followed. Catching up to the blond, he spoke quietly, "Do you think we'll be caught?" Though blond shook his head, though remained otherwise silent. Roxas periodically canted his head up, before slightly changing direction and moving on. The two continued on their way, past the ruined factory, and away from the smell of mixing chemicals, and continued into the suburbs of the city.

Housing akin to any suburban area stood silently around them. The time was midmorning, though no one mowed their lawn, no children ran for buses, no teenagers avoiding classes, nothing. All was silent as they walked down the sidewalk. It was almost nostalgic to his own family's neighbourhood. Sora wondered how his parents were. Were they safe? He wasn't a Subject so they shouldn't be in too grave of danger, but still…

Roxas and Sora continued on their trek in the suburbs when they encountered a disturbing sight. Houses had been bombed, and the ruins of various houses smoldered before them, choking the air. Once peaceful neighbourhoods lay ruined before them, the stout houses reduced to rubble and ash. Roxas looked over, "We should cross through the rubble, it'll save us time, and no one will look for anyone in ruined houses." The idea made sense to Sora, but at the same time, to trample over the ruins of people's homes?

"Are you sure? These were people's homes…" Sora frowned to himself. To think, the Pacific Union had done this, had bombed the innocent bystanders of Hollow Bastion. They had gone too far already, this was simply inhumane. There was no guarantee there were Subjects here! But here the houses once sat, now reduced to nothing but ash and rubble.

Roxas sighed, nodding. "Yes, we can't afford to be here for too long, and be caught by either side. We need to meet _Red_ on equal terms, not as his prisoner. He won't take us seriously if we're taken prisoner." Sora let out a hum of thought. Roxas' words made sense to him, they needed to meet _Red_ face to face, and not as subservient elements. Sora took point, and began trekking over the ruined houses. Most of the personal items of the houses were destroyed, but every so often Sora would see a melted computer, what looked like a picture frame, a hamper, a desk, and so on. It was all incredibly sad, and he found himself ever so slightly choked up.

Sora looked back to Roxas, who had his head bowed, eyes out of sight. Despite Roxas' subpar upbringing, the young man still seemed to hold to a moral code, and Sora found his spirits lifted at that. Even if these people's houses had been destroyed, hope was not in vain, they could rebuild, for he and Roxas would give them the opportunity.

The two continued on, the sun becoming higher and higher in the sky as the day wore on. They made quick work of the suburbs, and according to Roxas, had likely only an hour to go when they reached the commercial districts. Former four storey and under buildings, once decorated with fine greenery sat in ruin as they entered the first district. They walked down the side of a street, ruined debris scattered across its breadth. The buildings to their side smoldered quietly, filling the air with the smell of burning wood and the acrid odour of melting plastic from inside the buildings.

Before them, in a courtyard, a building had evidently been bombed into utter oblivion. Nothing remained, and the rubble that once composed the building, was spread into the courtyard. Corpses littered the ground before the building, and Sora's eyes grew wide with horror. The corpses were wearing paper gowns, lab coats, nurse garb for operating and on. The obliterated building was a _hospital_. "Roxas…" Sora spoke quietly. Though evidently the blond had noticed as well, his own eyes wide with shock.

"This is… abominable… They would destroy a hospital?" Roxas spoke, his tone measured, but the shock and revolted nature of his person was all too obvious to Sora. As they entered the courtyard, the stench of rotting corpses assaulted them. Sora coughed once, bringing his sleeve over his nose and mouth. Bodies were burnt beyond recognition, some of them far too small to be those of grown adults. Sora's heart ached for those they walked by, but he knew in his heart that staying too long would only see them become part of this atrocious massacre that had occurred here.

The two of them moved down the street, past the destroyed hospital, and into the centre of the town. A large, stone building sat in the centre of the largely empty block. Its once domed roof was destroyed, having been hit by many bombs. The formerly pristine white walls were stained with charred rock, explosives, and were riddled with cracks. The noble looking building sat squatly in the center of the block wherein various guards patrolled the perimeter. Sora and Roxas held to the side of a ruined building, peering around the corner, before Sora decided to speak up. "We should walk out in broad sight. That way, they know we're not enemies." Roxas nodded.

"Agreed. We don't need to shot." The blond smirked a little, and they moved into the road, walking toward the building. Various armed men and women glanced their way, before turning sharply, weapons trained at them. A female voice sounded from the guards, and a women in a blue pencil skirt and matching fitted jacket, covering a white blouse arrived before them at a distance. "Halt! Civilians were evacuated a week ago. Who are you?" Her voice was stern and commanding.

Roxas spoke before Sora had a chance to collect his thoughts, the blond's voice calm and emotionless. "We are from the Hearts Compound, and come to speak with Codename _Red_ of the Red Dawn, on behalf of Mother Namine, of the Hearts Corporation." Roxas called backward, earning surprised looks from the militia that eyed him warily. Sora nodded in agreement.

"We are not part of the Pacific Union's forces, and wish for no violence. Please, allow us in." The brunet called back, a few of the militiamen looking back to the stern woman, who held two fingers to her ear, and spoke quietly. She looked to the militiamen around her, and nodded. The pseudo-soldiers lowered their weapons, and the woman spoke once more.

"You've been allowed clearance, but you'll have to consent to a weapons search." She spoke in that same, commanding voice once more. Roxas nodded, thought did not speak. The two walked toward her, and were lead into the ruined Town Hall.

Inside, men and women loaded weapons, sharpened knives, and all eyed the two young men uneasily. They made their way through the dimly lit halls before reaching a set of double doors, and stopped. Without a word, the guards around the commanding woman moved toward Sora and Roxas, patting them down and quickly removing the handguns they had been carrying.

The woman nodded, and the guards retreated into the dimly lit corridor to their right. "Apologies for the less than accommodating welcome. Welcome to Hollow Bastion, boys. My name is Larxene, I am the Red Dawn's lieutenant commander. Commander Red will see to you, now." She spoke in the same stern voice, and beckoned them through the doors that were opened for them.

A large chair was turned away from them as they entered, which sat behind a large, dirty desk. Emergency lighting lit the room with a dull yellow hue from the lights that had been erected in the corners of the office. The doors closed behind them, and the chair turned. A man with fiery red hair with a teardrop tattoo under each eye smirked at Sora and Roxas. He wore a black jacket over a red shirt, accompanied with a pair of black slacks.

Roxas' eyes widened, "Axel?"

The man grinned, "Bingo, kiddo."

* * *

_And that is where I shall annoyingly leave chapter eight! Sora and Roxas have arrived at the Red Dawn to find that Codename Red is none other than Axel. Though what dangers do allying with Axel entail? _

_Moreover, what of Ventus? What has he planned, and what lengths will he go to in order to avenge Vanitas?_

_As the rigors of resistance warfare come into fruition, the world becomes a much more glib place for Roxas and Sora. Will they survive? Or will this hellish world take them down with it?_

_Stay tuned for chapter nine._


End file.
